Journal Staff Writer
Now that you have your W-2s in hand, here’s a reminder about what happens if you cheat on your taxes or come up with a scheme to get others to do so.
Four people have been found guilty of multiple counts of filing or causing false claims for refunds to be filed with the IRS. They were the promoters and recruiters for a scheme, explained United States Attorney Maxwell Wood for the Middle District of Georgia, that recruited taxpayers to file false amended tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service. Subsequently, the taxpayers would claim tax refunds to which they were not entitled ranging from $33,913 up to $89,612.
Joseph Jordan Sr., of Warner Robins, Eretta Nelson, formerly of Fort Valley, Ozee Rogers Sr., of Macon and Hewis Cross of Leesburg, were convicted following a jury trial before the Honorable Judge C. Ashley Royal of conspiracy to file false claims for refunds with the Internal Revenue Service, and with multiple counts of filing or causing false claims for refunds to be filed with the IRS.
Wood said in a press release, the maximum penalties for the conspiracy charge is 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, and the maximum penalties for each violation of filing false claims is five years imprisonment. Four other defendants – Ernest T. Butts, Calvin A. McCaskill, and Lola C. Brokemond – were found not guilty.
The recruited taxpayers were told by the defendants that the IRS secretly places taxes paid by individual taxpayers into interest bearing accounts, and that the defendants had access to inside information relating to how these funds could be obtained through the filing of amended tax returns claiming refunds, Wood explained.
Evidence at trial showed that at least 112 of these false claims were filed with the IRS, and that 10 refunds were actually paid before the scheme was stopped by the IRS.
The recruited taxpayers were also scammed, being required to pay one or more of the defendants a document preparation fee ranging from $200 up to $1,500. They were also required to sign a contract or agree to pay one or more of the defendants a percentage (ranging from 10 to 25 percent) of any refund actually received from the IRS resulting from the false claims.
Wood said sentencing for Jordan, Nelson, Rogers, and Cross would be at a date and time to be scheduled by the court.
The case was investigated by agents of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Paul McCommon and George Christian.
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