HONOLULU — U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright on Monday sentenced Kaua‘i tax preparer Dennis Nimkie, age 66, to 18 months imprisonment for falsifying information on an income tax return he prepared for another person. Nimkie pleaded guilty to one
HONOLULU — U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright on Monday sentenced Kaua‘i tax preparer Dennis Nimkie, age 66, to 18 months imprisonment for falsifying information on an income tax return he prepared for another person.
Nimkie pleaded guilty to one of 26 charges but agreed that the conduct on the remaining charges could be considered in determining his sentence and the amount of restitution owed the government, a Department of Justice news release states.
Seabright ordered Nimkie to pay restitution totaling $165,117.46 to four of his former clients and the United States.
Florence T. Nakakuni, U.S. attorney for the District of Hawai‘i, said that according to the information presented to the court, Nimkie had several businesses which performed bookkeeping and tax preparation services, one of which was Kaua‘i Bookkeepers and Tax Preparation.
Nimkie admitted to the court that he prepared individual tax returns for clients which he knew contained false expenses in order to obtain tax refunds or reduce their tax liability, the release states.
The indictment alleged 26 such offenses from 2003 to 2005, with tax losses of up to $18,300 for each count.
Nakakuni said that the sentence Monday — the national deadline for filing federal income tax returns for the calendar year 2010 — is a reminder that “we all have a responsibility not only to file income tax returns but to present accurate information to the Internal Revenue Service, and that professional tax preparers who deliberately and systematically falsify material information for their clients can expect vigorous pursuit from authorities.”
The case resulted from an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.
The prosecution was handled by Ronald G. Johnson, assistant U.S. attorney.
