High-volume tax preparer pleads guilty to preparing fraudulent tax returns

Tacoma - A high-volume tax preparer in Vancouver, Washington pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to sixteen counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false and fraudulent returns, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Keith Altamirano, 52, operated Integrity Investments, LLC, doing business as "Servicios Latinos." Between 2017 and 2021, Altamirano prepared at least 12,000 tax returns. A statistical sampling analysis reveals that his false entries on customer tax returns cost the U.S. Treasury more than $5 million in tax loss. Altamirano is scheduled for sentencing in front of Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo on December 19, 2025, at 10:30 a.m.

According to the plea agreement and indictment, Altamirano falsified clients' income tax submissions by listing fake medical expenses, and charitable donations for deductions, listing fake cars for depreciation and expense deductions, and by listing fabricated and inflated business expenses. Altamirano concealed his fraud by using "White Out" and omitting his name on his clients' filed returns. The clients did not know Altamirano falsified their tax return to get them a larger refund. Altamirano's fraud helped build his business as customers recommended him to others to get larger refunds.

The tax loss for the 16 counts he pleaded guilty to is $104,518. Altamirano agreed to pay that amount in restitution to the IRS.

This month, Altamirano also pled guilty to attempted second degree murder and drug charges in Clark County Superior Court. Altamirano was sentenced to 135 months of imprisonment in his state case, which will run concurrently with his federal sentence according to the Clark County judgment.

For each count of aiding and assisting with filing a false or fraudulent tax return Altamirano faces up to three years in prison and a $100,000 fine. Prosecutors have agreed to recommend imprisonment at the low end of the federal guidelines range. Chief Judge Estudillo is not bound by the recommendation and can impose any sentence allowed by law.

The tax fraud case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).

The tax fraud case is being prosecuted by Amanda McDowell.