Politics & Government

Beverly Hills Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud

Utta Hollingshead of Utta Body Sculpture failed to report earnings she deposited directly into personal accounts, according to the IRS.

A massage therapist and personal trainer to celebrities who owns . at 9730 Wilshire Blvd. could spend three years in federal prison for allegedly concealing nearly $210,000 in income from the Internal Revenue Service.

In a deal with prosecutors, Utta Hollingshead, 56, of Santa Monica, pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to one count of subscribing to a false 2005 federal income tax return. She entered her plea before U.S. District Court Judge Manuel L. Real in Los Angeles.

According to the IRS, between 2005 and 2007, Hollingshead admitted she endorsed checks from business clients directly to her credit card to pay personal expenses, including luxury trips overseas. The clients' checks, along with some cash payments, were never deposited into the Utta Body Sculpture bank account and were not disclosed on Hollingshead’s tax returns, according to the IRS.

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In 2005, she reported to the IRS that her business generated $122,595, but a federal investigation uncovered gross receipts of more than $332,000.

Hollingshead faces a maximum sentence of 3 years in federal prison and a fine of at least $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 25.

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