Adrian JohnsonTLDR:
- A bookkeeper in Vermont has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion after embezzling over $400,000 from her employer, a wood-logging company.
- A court in Florida has permanently banned a tax preparation service from preparing federal income tax returns, following allegations that the service claimed false business losses to inflate refunds.
- A businesswoman in Georgia has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for filing false returns related to her IT consulting business, resulting in a loss of $1.1 million in unpaid taxes.
- Former Massachusetts police officers have been convicted of wire fraud and filing false returns in connection with an overtime scheme.
- A tax preparer in Georgia has been sentenced to home confinement and probation for aiding in the preparation of a false and fraudulent return.
A bookkeeper in Vermont has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion. Jodi Lathrop was charged with embezzling over $400,000 from her employer, a wood-logging and wood-chipping company, by writing unauthorized company checks to pay her personal credit card bills and making unauthorized charges on company credit cards to pay her personal expenses. She also filed false personal returns and caused the company to file false returns, resulting in a loss of $141,000 in unpaid taxes. Lathrop agreed to sell land she owns to pay restitution.
A tax preparation service in Florida has been permanently banned from preparing federal income tax returns. Tyrone Johnson and TJ Professional Services were accused of claiming false business losses to inflate refunds. The defendants allegedly cost the Treasury millions by filing returns that claimed fictitious businesses and fabricated business losses. The defendants also failed to appear in court.
A businesswoman in Georgia has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for filing false returns related to her IT consulting business. Angela Brady falsely claimed millions of dollars in contract labor expenses and received refunds despite making millions in income. She paid workers in India via PayPal and submitted false spreadsheets to her tax preparer and the IRS. Her fraud resulted in a loss of $1.1 million in unpaid taxes, and she was ordered to pay restitution.
Former Massachusetts police officers have been convicted of wire fraud and filing false returns in connection with an overtime scheme. Daniel J. Griffin and William W. Robertson conspired to steal thousands of dollars in overtime pay by regularly arriving late to and leaving early from shifts that were funded by grants intended to improve traffic safety. When the scheme was discovered, they attempted to avoid detection by destroying records. Griffin also fraudulently collected revenue from his private security business and defrauded a private school attended by his children.
A tax preparer in Georgia has been sentenced to home confinement and probation for aiding in the preparation of a false and fraudulent federal return. Ann Rogers prepared a return that included fictitious business losses and false deductions, resulting in a $204,267 loss to the IRS.
