Former IRS agent charged with filing false tax returns

A grand jury in Sacramento returned an indictment Thursday charging a former IRS agent with preparing false tax returns for herself and family members.

According to the indictment, Alena Aleykina of Sacramento, a certified public accountant and former Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation special agent, filed individual income tax returns, as well as returns on behalf of two trusts, for 2009, 2010 and 2011, on which she included bogus information regarding the law, dependents, deductions and losses.

The indictment alleges that, between 2008 and 2013, Aleykina attempted to obstruct the IRS by preparing false tax returns for herself, family members, trusts and partnerships, and by lying to U.S. Department of the Treasury agents.

She is also charged with attempting to obstruct a federal investigation by destroying evidence on a government computer and fraudulently causing the tax agency to issue IRS tuition assistance reimbursement payments to her.

If convicted, Aleykina faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for destroying evidence, 10 years for stealing money from the government, and three years each on seven other counts.

This story was originally published October 20, 2016 at 6:25 PM with the headline "Former IRS agent charged with filing false tax returns."