Cleveland attorney charged with filing false tax returns of $252,000

CLEVELAND - A Cleveland attorney is accused of filing false tax returns over the course of three years.

Leslie W. Jacobs, of Gates Mills, is charged with making and subscribing false personal income tax returns, according to Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

From 2004 to 2007, the 66-year-old partner at a Cleveland law firm falsely inflated his business expense deductions, a news release from the Department of Justice said. That move resulted in a $252,257 tax refund for Jacobs. The criminal information said that Jacobs prepared the taxes himself and knowingly changed the amounts.

While the law firm is not named in the news release, Jacobs is a partner at Thomas Hine.

Below is a list from the U.S. Department of Justice of Jacobs’ expenses:

2004
Business Expenses Reported: $224,496.48
Business Expenses Actual: $130,323.82
Partnership Income Reported: $539,130.52
Partnership Income Actual: $633,303.18
False: $94,173

2005
Business Expenses Reported: $117,797.85
Business Expenses Actual: $49,232.98
Partnership Income Reported: $691,408.15
Partnership Income Actual: $759,973.02
False: $68,565

2006
Business Expenses Reported: $117,231.91
Business Expenses Actual: $52,750.28
Partnership Income Reported: $608,680.09
Partnership Income Actual: $673,161.72
False: $64,482

2007
Business Expenses Reported: $64,903.59
Business Expenses Actual: $39,867.03
Partnership Income Reported: $632,477.41
Partnership Income Actual: $657,513.97
False: $25,037