A former Irvine-based tax attorney has been indicted on charges of obstructing a federal investigation into millions of dollars in refunds claimed in returns prepared by her firm, prosecutors announced Thursday.
Margaret Quick, 63, who used to live in Newport Coast, but has moved to Paradise Valley, Arizona, was charged in an indictment Wednesday, according to Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Quick was a partner at the Irvine-based Quick Rios & Associates, Mrozek said.
Quick is accused of attempting to obstruct an Internal Revenue Service probe of tax returns prepared by the firm that claimed more than $100 million in refunds in the agency’s Telephone Excise Tax Refund program, which aimed to compensate claimants paying excess telephone excise taxes from 2003-06, Mrozek said.
Quick allegedly instructed others to alter invoices and other documents before turning them over to the IRS to back up the refund claims, Mrozek said. The indictment also alleges Quick lied to investigators in 2011-12 and engaged in witness tampering by email and phone in July of this year, Mrozek said.
The firm’s partner, Antonia Rios, pleaded guilty in October of last year to obstructing the IRS investigation. Rios admitted the firm prepared returns for about 200 clients, including Fortune 500 companies, Mrozek said.
Rios is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 25.
Quick is expected to be arraigned early next year.
Quick could face up to 11 years in federal prison and about $750,000 in fines if convicted at trial, Mrozek said.