Tax Preparer Sentenced for Money Laundering and Assisting in False Tax Preparation

William J. Edwards, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, announced today that Arthur Obleton was sentenced to 37 months imprisonment for Money Laundering and Aiding & Assisting in the Preparation of False Tax Returns with respect to a tax preparation business known as Obleton & Associates, located in Cleveland, Ohio. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Ann Aldrich, who also ordered Obleton to serve a period of supervised release following his incarceration. According to court records, Obleton age 57 resides in Cleveland, Ohio.

On September 16, 2008, Obleton pleaded guilty to the charges contained in a five-count information filed the previous month. According to his written plea agreement, Obleton laundered what was purported to be monies derived from narcotics trafficking for an undercover federal agent on four separate occasions. The tax count resulted from Obleton’s tax preparation business wherein he inflated or falsified income stated on Schedule C or W-2 forms of filed tax returns in order to maximize refunds for the subject taxpayers under the Earned Income Credit program. Obleton & Associates is no longer in operation after two search warrants were executed by federal agents in November of 2007 and March of 2008.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. Patton following investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division.