WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- The pile of dishes in the sink of her West Palm Beach home is much easier to tackle than the pile of papers reminding Nohelia Molina that she is in big financial trouble.
Copies of her tax return forms from 2006 and 2007 are laid out with notices from the IRS that she owes nearly 12-thousand dollars.
She says she's in this mess because of mis-information that was put on her tax-form by her tax-preparer.
Molina tells NewsChannel 5, "I don't understand anything about taxes, that's why every year I pay somebody!"
The hard-working Post Office employee trusted her preparer and never looked over the details of her return, so she didn't realize she was getting a larger than normal tax return because her preparer claimed big business losses.
"How I'm going to lose money on my business when I don't even have a business?" Molina asked the IRS auditor.
Molina doesn't know why her tax preparer, she identifies as Georgia Gaines, made the fraudulent filing.
The Lake Worth High School math teacher is now facing federal charges because of this and other cases.
Yet, Molina is still responsible for paying back the money.
Experts say this is why taxpayers must do their homework.
Evelyn Parkes, a CPA in West Palm Beach, tells NewsChannel 5, "I would suggest, if you're looking for someone to prepare your tax return that you should find out what their credentials are. I would ask them what their knowledge is, when was the last course they took."
Molina did not ask those questions and now she's paying the price.
It's a hard and expensive lesson for an all too trusting woman.
She says, "I learned the hard way."
In a written statement, Michael Dobzinski, an IRS Media Relations Specialist, tells NewsChannel 5, "I cannot comment on matters related to specific taxpayers. However, if you pay someone to prepare your tax return, choose that preparer wisely. Taxpayers are legally responsible for what’s on their own tax returns even if prepared by someone else. Most return preparers are professional, honest and provide excellent service to their clients.
Unfortunately, unscrupulous tax return preparers do exist and can cause considerable financial and legal problems for their clients.
Tax evasion is both risky and a crime, punishable by up to five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. Remember, no matter who prepares a tax return, the taxpayer is legally responsible for all of the information on that tax return."
