Politics & Government

Bloomfield Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty in Court

Authorities say Rigot Joseph filed false returns to gain his clients undeserved money.

A Bloomfield tax preparer has pleaded guilty in federal court to falsifying tax returns in order to get his clients large refunds they were not entitled to, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Rigot Joseph, 54, entered a guilty plea to the charge of aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of false tax returns, before U.S. District Judge Paul G. Sheridan on Thursday in federal court in Trenton.

According to the case brought against Joseph by U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman, Joseph was the owner of RJM Professional Tax Services in East Orange. Joseph would meet with his clients and prepare their tax returns for a fee, however from 2003 to 2007, he fabricated and inflated Schedule A itemized deducations for his clients.

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Fishman claims that Joseph prepared client tax returns that claimed deductions based on false gifts to charity, false job expenses and other false miscellaneous expenses, in order to obtain large refunds for his clients. He then filed the tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service.

Joseph could face up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced on Jan. 4, 2012.

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U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Victor W. Lessoff, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.

In court on Thursday, the government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen P. O'Leary of the U.S. Attorney's Office Health Care and Government Fraud Unit in Newark. Joseph was represented by Lorraine S. Gauli-Rufo Esq., of Newark.


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