Jersey City tax preparer admits to stealing from charitable foundation and evading taxes

Date: April 9, 2026

Contact: [email protected]

Newark, NJ - On March 4th, a Jersey City tax preparer who diverted more than a million dollars from a charitable foundation of which he was a director pleaded guilty to tax evasion.

Edward M. Lombard, a resident of Jersey City, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas to one count of an indictment charging him with tax evasion.

"Using his position of trust as an accountant and tax preparer, Mr. Lombard swindled a charitable foundation out of more than a million dollars," stated Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan, IRS Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office. "This guilty plea is a reminder of IRS-CI's dedication to investigating financial crimes and ensuring bad actors are held accountable."

According to court documents and statements made in court:

Lombard was self-employed as the owner of a tax preparation and accounting business serving clients in New Jersey. Lombard also served as a director on the board of a New Jersey charitable foundation and served as the foundation's accountant and tax preparer. From 2014 through 2017, Lombard had control over the foundation's finances, and during these years he diverted money from the foundation's bank accounts directly to himself and to bank accounts held by companies he controlled. He used the diverted funds for his personal benefit, including, but not limited to, funding significant gambling activity, financing a business venture, and paying his mortgage, insurance, credit card bills, and alimony.

In 2019, Lombard prepared and filed his own federal individual income tax returns for the years he diverted money from the foundation. On each of these tax returns, Lombard deliberately failed to report as income the money he diverted from the foundation. As a result, he knowingly understated his taxable income by approximately $1,266,800 on these returns. From 2014 through 2017, Lombard's underreporting of his income resulted in approximately $420,923 tax loss.

The tax evasion charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for August 5, 2026.

This investigation was conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan; the United States Postal Inspection Service, Philadelphia Division, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher Nielsen; and the U.S. Attorney's Office, under the direction of U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer.

The Government is represented by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Fell.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 18 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.