The United States Department of Justice announced today that Wasilla resident 37-year-old Rebecca Renae Powell has been charged with six counts of preparing false tax returns.

It is alleged by the Department of Justice that Powell, the owner of AK Contractors Bookkeeping Services began in 2007, preparing returns for a long-time friend who was a marijuanna dealer. DOJ contends that Powell knew that the friend was a dealer, and knowingly omitted income that that person made in the drug trade. As a result that friend was able to claim Earned Income Credits for the years 2003-2007.

That same year, DOJ says, Powell began doing taxes for a second individual that was also a dealer, this one dealt heroin in addition to marijuana. Powell is accused of concealing that person’s illegal income and instead created an appearance that the money came from a legitimate enterprise. In addition to filing false returns for that person, Powell also created false invoices, bills of sale and other documents to substantiate the bogus figures she had come up with. She did this in case the person was ever audited.

But, her deeds would catch up to her in 2009, when an undercover agent, posing as a drug dealer, went to her to have his “taxes” done. She went through the same procedure with the undercover agent, making sure that his “drug money” would not be found out by the IRS.

When finished, Powell charged the undercover agent the dealer rate of $1,000. Her legit customers were charged $50 a return.

Each of the six charges that Powell is charged with carries a maximum possible sentence of three years in prison as well as a fine of up to $250,000 or both. In addition, she would be responsible for the costs of prosecution.

The names of the alleged dealers and whether those persons have been or are going to be prosecuted is unknown.