TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Sept. 17, 2014) - The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announced today that on September 15, 2014, Carmine Sorella, of Toronto, Ontario, was sentenced in the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto to a 90 day jail term to be served on weekends and 12 months conditional sentencing. Sorella pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud over $5,000 under the Criminal Code of Canada.
A CRA investigation revealed that Sorella, a tax preparer, filed fictitious employment expenses and business losses to claim unwarranted income tax refunds for 42 of his clients. In particular, Sorella claimed non-existent employment expenses and business losses totaling $547,643 on 77 tax returns covering the years 2008, 2009 and 2010. By doing so Sorella underestimated his clients' federal income tax owed by approximately $108,459. Sorella charged his clients fees ranging from $25 to $300 per return.
The preceding information was obtained from the court records.
If you have ever made a tax mistake or omission, the CRA is offering you a second chance to make things right through its Voluntary Disclosures Program (VDP). If you make a valid disclosure before you become aware that the CRA is taking action against you, you may only have to pay the taxes owing plus interest. More information on the VDP can be found on the CRA's website at www.cra.gc.ca/voluntarydisclosures.
Further information on convictions can be found in the Media Room on the CRA website at www.cra.gc.ca/convictions.
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