Pittsburgh tax prep company owner, employee indicted on charges of falsifying returns
A Hill District man who owns a tax preparation business with offices in Downtown Pittsburgh and Homestead has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of tax and wire fraud.
The 15-count indictment handed up on June 29 accuses Brian A. VanDusen, 51, of Webster Avenue, with filing nearly 3,000 fraudulent tax returns through his business EasyTax Refund, which he operated between 2014 and 2018.
The company had offices in the Warner Center in Downtown and along 8th Avenue in Homestead.
VanDusen also is a constable for Pittsburgh’s Ward 3 and is seeking reelection to the post. He won the Democratic nomination in the May primary to get on the ballot for the fall general election.
No candidates sought the GOP nod to run against VanDusen.
The indictment alleges that VanDusen and his employees falsified the Schedule C forms to claim an earned income tax credit and tax refund for taxpayers.
An employee of VanDusen’s company, Jessica D. Washington, 34, of Pittsburgh, was charged in a separate 10-count indictment with falsifying federal income tax returns when she worked for EasyTax in 2018.
If convicted, VanDusen faces a maximum sentence of 79 years in prison, a fine of $3.75 million, or both.
Washington faces 30 years prison and a fine a $2.5 million fine if convicted.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service.
Tony LaRussa is a TribLive reporter. A Pittsburgh native, he covers crime and courts in the Alle-Kiski Valley. He can be reached at tlarussa@triblive.com.
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