Lewis N. Gautieri

I had very similar experiences to the first review. Lewis made numerous errors in preparing my tax returns and then stopped all communication when I notified him of the mistakes and asked for his help in correcting them. He has not responded to multiple small claims court hearings, nor paid the judgment the court issued against him.

He failed to file partial year returns despite clearly being notified of the circumstances triggering that. He incorrectly categorized business expenses in the wrong designation on a business return. He listed the wrong street number in the address and wrong business name on a return.

I cannot recommend under any circumstances ever doing business with Gautieri, or engaging in any agreement in which trust and follow-through are required.

Review: After hiring Lewis Gautieri as my tax account and working together for several years, I began to receive notices from the IRS referencing issues with my annual income tax returns. When I asked Mr. Gautieri for assistance in responding, he assured me that we had filed correctly and that it was only an administrative issue that needed to be cleared up. He agreed to write a letter on my behalf. Despite my requests, I was never copied on any communication that Mr. Gauriteri claimed to have made with the IRS, nor did I ever receive a response from Mr. Gautieri indicating whether the issue had been resolved or what actions, if any, needed to be taken. When I inquired about the status by email, I received a reply from Mr. Gautieri saying that I was badgering him and that he was still following up on the issue and that I needed to trust him.In the meantime, I continued receiving regular letters of complaint from the IRS. When, months later, I still had no reply from Mr. Gautieri, I emailed him again. I received no response. I called him a week later and left a message on his voicemail. He returned my call, only to yell at me for continuing to badger him and he requested that I call rather than email him in the future. He still was unable to solve my issue. More than a year later, I am still receiving letters from the IRS, and most recently from a collection agency. Mr. Gautieri refuses to respond to emails or phone calls for the past several months. The amount I owe (for taxes from 5 years ago) has now doubled due to late fees and unpaid interest. I am being threatened with a lien on my property and freezing of my bank account - all for unpaid fees that were incorrectly filed from the beginning. I have recently retained a new tax accountant and requested from Mr. Gautieri that he send my files to me so that the new accountant could take over the process. He has not responded. The new accountant also sent 2 notices requesting my tax documents and never received a reply from Mr. Gautieri.Desired Settlement: I find Mr. Gautieri's behavior shocking and completey unprofessional. I am requesting compensation in the amount of $3,000 for the work I have had to take on in order to re-file my 2008 taxes without the benefit of my tax files, which Mr. Gautieri has in his possession and refuses to return to me. I also request that all my files be returned to me immediately with no further contact between us.