A Florida woman, identified as Yolanda Dewar of Sunrise, was arrested on April 12 following an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Miami on April 4. The indictment accused Dewar of filing false tax returns, sparking an investigation into her financial activities.
According to the indictment, spanning from 2017 through 2021, Dewar allegedly submitted four fraudulent tax returns on behalf of a trust, aiming to secure refunds the trust wasn’t legitimately entitled to.
The indictment details that Dewar falsified information on these returns, claiming substantial income for the trust, fabricated payments to the IRS, and purported federal tax withholdings on behalf of the trust. Moreover, she allegedly asserted that these payments exceeded the trust’s tax liabilities, thereby qualifying it for significant refunds.
She persisted in this deceitful behavior and false claims even after receiving notifications from the IRS which stated that her claims were suspicious. In total, she sought refunds amounting to over $1.9 million, of which approximately $500,000 was disbursed by the IRS.
It’s alleged that Dewar utilized a portion of these fraudulently obtained funds to purchase a vehicle for a family member, undergo plastic surgery, and renovate her residence.
Dewar now faces four counts of filing false tax returns, with potential penalties including up to three years of imprisonment for each count, supervised release, restitution, and monetary fines. The ultimate sentence, if convicted, will be determined by a federal district court judge, who will consider various factors including the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The announcement of Dewar’s arrest and charges was made jointly by U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, and Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line of the IRS Criminal Investigation Miami Field Office.
