Suburban Dallas tax preparer banned

DALLAS, TX -- A federal judge has permanently barred a suburban Dallas man from preparing federal tax returns for others after prosecutors say he used fake and fraudulent deductions on returns he handled.

Tax losses could be as high as $7.8 million from the scam.

The Justice Department says Joseph Rivas, of DeSoto, consented to the ban Thursday from U.S. District Judge Sidney Fitzwater without admitting to the allegations against him.

A federal complaint alleged Rivas prepared tax returns using phony mortgage interest deductions, faked employee business expenses and illegally deducted Social Security taxes as state and local taxes.

The injunction also orders Rivas to turn over the names of all the people who used him as a tax preparer since Jan. 1, 2010.

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