The tax preparer for a Live Oak building contractor convicted of tax fraud has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in connection with the case.

Barbara E. Coulthurst, of Mayo, pleaded guilty in federal court in Jacksonville in December to accessory after the fact to the filing of false federal tax returns. Coulthurst admitted to knowingly submitting the false returns of Live Oak building contractor Joseph Barney Wainwright Jr. for 2000 and 2001, court records show. Wainwright was convicted of tax fraud and sentenced in October to 18 months in prison.

Coulthurst, who will be sentenced Feb. 18, faces up to six months in federal prison, though under the terms of a plea agreement she is expected to receive probation. However, she still faces a possible fine of up to $50,000. IRS Special Agent Norm Meadows said Wednesday that he doesn’t expect Coulthurst will be ordered to pay restitution, since the tax liability incurred was Wainwright’s.

Court records indicate that Coulthurst “initially was unsure whether Wainwright’s tax returns were accurate,” but that “she eventually realized that they were materially false because Wainwright had substantially understated his income.”

According to court records, “Coulthurst made statements to (IRS special) agents that were false and/or misleading in an attempt to protect Wainwright and herself from prosecution.”

Wainwright pleaded guilty in September 2007 to filing a false federal tax return by understating gross receipts for his business, Wainwright Construction, court records show.

Wainwright, 44, was sentenced in October 2008 to 18 months in prison.

Wainwright reported gross receipts of $96,377 in 2000 for his business, Wainwright Construction, according to court papers. However, actual gross receipts totaled about $1,259,178. For 2001, his tax return understated gross receipts by more than $600,000.