An Encino tax preparer is headed to the slammer after pleading guilty to playing fast and loose with the IRS to the tune of over $400,000. Bijan Kohanzad, the 62-year-old owner of an Encino tax preparation company, is now staring down a possible three-year federal prison stint after admitting to aiding and abetting a client in filing a fraudulent tax return.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Kohanzad began to intentionally assist his client in reducing their taxable income back in mid-2015 by falsely inflating business expenses, a scheme that lasted until May 2017. It was revealed that for the year 2015 alone, Kohanzad and his client fabricated a whopping $150,000 in advertising expenses. This move craftily chopped the company's reported income down, thereby lowering the client's individual tax hit.

Kohanzad's guilty plea details how he knowingly cooked the books again for the tax year 2016, conjuring up $886,325 in business expenses that never existed, slashing his client's taxable income from over $1.3 million to under $450,000. The total damage to the IRS resulting from these shenanigans for the two years was about $401,436.

In his plea agreement, Kohanzad confessed to willfully violating federal law, stating that his actions were voluntary and intentional. "He acted willfully," he admitted, accepting the full weight of his wrongdoing. His sentencing is scheduled for July 12, with United States District Judge André Birotte Jr. presiding, as detailed by Public Information Officer Ciaran McEvoy. Until then, Kohanzad remains free on a $100,000 bond. IRS Criminal Investigation continues to dig into this matter with Assistant United States Attorney Monica E. Tait of the Major Frauds Section spearheading the prosecution.