Please E-mail suggested additions, comments and/or corrections to Kent@MoreLaw.Com.
Date: 02-15-2022
Case Style:
Case Number: 1:18-cr-00388-RDM
Judge: Randolph D. Moss
Court: United States District Court for the District of Columbia
Plaintiff's Attorney: United States Attorney’s Office
Defendant's Attorney:
Description: Washington, DC: Criminal defense lawyer represented Defendant charged with preparing false tax returns.
Charese Johnson, of Aberdeen, prepared 13 false income tax returns that collectively sought more than $6.6 million in refunds from the IRS. Between 2014 and 2016, scheme participants held seminars throughout the country where they promoted the purported ability of taxpayers to utilize their mortgages and other debts to generate tax refunds. Information was then collected from clients and provided to Johnson and others for use in the preparation of false returns. Those returns falsely claimed that banks and other financial institutions had withheld large amounts of income taxes from the clients, which entitled the clients to refunds. In reality, the financial institutions had not paid any income to or withheld any taxes from the clients.
Johnson tried to conceal her role in the scheme by convincing one of her clients to mislead the IRS about Johnson’s involvement in the preparation of the client’s tax returns.
On July 1, 2021, Johnson was convicted at trial of three counts of helping others prepare false tax returns. Thus far, more than a dozen other individuals around the country have been charged or convicted for their involvement in this multimillion-dollar scheme.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Jeffrey McLellan and George Meggali, and former Trial Attorney Abigail Burger Chingos, of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.
26:7206(2); FRAUD AND FALSE STATEMENTS; Aiding and Assisting the Preparation of a False Return
(1s-3s)
Outcome: 7/1/2021: JURY VERDICT OF GUILTY. 2/14/2022: Defendant Sentenced to concurrent terms of Thirty-Six (36) Months of Incarceration; Followed by concurrent terms of Twelve (12) Months of Supervised Release; A $100.00 Special Assessment is imposed on each count for a total of $300.00.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: