EL PASO – A federal grand jury in El Paso returned an indictment today charging an El Paso woman for her role in preparing false tax returns and committing bank fraud.
According to court documents, Dawn Marie Munoz, 52, allegedly underreported her income to the IRS for tax years 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Also, beginning in March 2016 through April 2018, Munoz allegedly prepared income tax returns for others where she underreported income or over reported deductions causing the returns to be false. In addition, Munoz fraudulently cashed checks and pocketed money she was not entitled to.
Munoz is charged with four counts of Making and Subscribing a False Return; nine counts of Aiding and Abetting in the Preparation and Presentation of a False Return; and three counts of Bank Fraud. The defendant is tentatively scheduled for her initial court appearance next week before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison on each of the Making False Returns and Preparing False Returns counts and a maximum sentenced of 30 years in prison on each of the Bank Fraud counts. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff of the Western District of Texas; Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge Ramsey E. Covington, Houston Field Office; and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey R. Downey, El Paso Field Office made the announcement.
The IRS-CI and FBI are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mallory J. Rasmussen is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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