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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A former Internal Revenue Service agent accused of preparing fraudulent tax returns for undercover IRS agents has pleaded guilty to attempting to interfere with the administration of Internal Revenue laws.
Marissa Hyde, 43, appeared in federal court Wednesday and admitted she tried to cheat the government after she quit the tax agency by concocting a fake deduction for customers at her Layton accounting business.
U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart set sentencing for Jan. 11. The offense carries a maximum punishment of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Hyde told Stewart she "made a mistake" by listing the fraudulent deduction.
The U.S. attorney's office said Hyde told her clients of her company, Accounting and Business Consulting, that based on her knowledge of the IRS and its procedures, the tax scheme would not be detected by the IRS.
The prosecutors described the scheme as using domestic and offshore entities in a way that claimed to provide legitimate tax benefits but which actually was intended to hide income and assets and evade taxes.
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
