Tax preparer extradited to Canada for fraud

Canada has extradited a former tax preparer from Italy to serve a 10-year sentence for tax fraud, CRA says.

Doreen Tennina arrived in Canada September 4, and she is now in custody.

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On May 31, 2013, Tennina was found guilty in an Oshawa, Ont. Superior Court of two counts of fraud over $5,000 and was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in jail on each count, to be served concurrently.

Tennina, used to prepare taxes in Vaughan, Ontario. She fraudulently claimed carrying charges and charitable donations totaling $58,500,000 in 4,200 tax returns prepared on behalf of her clients from 2003 to 2005, inclusive. The false claims reduced the amount of federal taxes owed by over $10 million. She was also ordered to pay a fine of $699,608 for causing her company, Executive Accounting, to fail to report income received from the tax evasion scheme, according to the court.

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Taxpayers who claim false expenses, credits or rebates from the government are subject to serious consequences. They are liable not only for corrections to their tax returns and payment of the full amount of tax owing, but also to penalties and interest. In addition, if convicted of tax evasion, the court may impose jail time and fine them up to 200% of the tax evaded.

Taxpayers who have not filed returns for previous years, or who have not reported all of their income, can still voluntarily correct their tax affairs. They may not be penalized or prosecuted if they make a valid disclosure before they become aware of any compliance action being initiated by the CRA against them.

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The staff of Advisor.ca have been covering news for financial advisors since 1998.