He Filed Your Amended Return - Then Stole Your Refund

He Filed Your Amended Return - Then Stole Your Refund Imagine trusting a bilingual tax preparer in a strip-mall office and later finding your Social Security number and signatures bundled in the desert - and that same preparer had redirected refunds to prepaid cards he controlled. More than sixty families in Vega Blanca County lost money through amended returns that refunded funds they never knew existed; how did the scheme stay hidden for years? In this episode, we follow the discovery that began when Amy Sanders found a rubber-banded bundle of tax documents on Creston Mill Road and trace how a preparer filed correct original returns, then filed fraudulent 1040-X amended returns to divert money. How did address changes, prepaid cards, and modest but repeated refunds keep this fraud under the radar? Date: November 14, 2019 Location: Creston Mill Road, Vega Blanca County, New Mexico Person: Frances Sawyer Case: Tax preparer fraud involving amended returns Amount: Approximately $133,000 total - 63 confirmed client households were affected by the scheme. - Average amount diverted per household was $2,112. - The preparer, George Padgett, began operating Servicios Tributarios del Valle in 2013. - Frances Sawyer earned $46,000 in 2018 and had her 2017 return amended in March 2018 claiming a $2,400 education credit. - The preparer held an IRS Annual Filing Season Program certificate and filed both original returns and later fraudulent Form 1040-X amendments. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].