United States of America v. Joshlyn Raye

Newark, New Jersey criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with Tax Evasion and Aiding and Assisting in Preparing 177 False Tax Returns

Hackensack Tax Preparer Sentenced to 36 Months in Prison for Tax Evasion and Aiding and Assisting in Preparing 177 False Tax Returns

A Bergen County, New Jersey woman was sentenced for tax evasion and for helping her clients file falsified tax returns that generated larger refunds.



Joshlyn Raye, 49, of Elmwood Park, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark federal court to an Information charging her with one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false and fraudulent tax return; one count of tax evasion; and one count of filing a false declaration under penalty of perjury concerning a quarterly tax return on behalf of her tax return business.



Between March 2010 and September 2023, Raye was the owner of JB Tax Services, a tax return preparation business located in Hackensack. She knowingly and willfully evaded her personal income taxes over three of those years; filed 177 false tax returns on behalf of her clients; and filed three false quarterly employment tax returns on behalf of her tax return preparation business. Raye used fabricated and inflated figures, including expenses and itemized deductions.



In addition to the 36-month prison term, Judge Salas sentenced Raye to 3 years of supervised release and ordered her to pay $1,109,214.10 in restitution.



U.S. Attorney Habba credited members of the IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer Piovesan; and members of the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, Office of Internal Affairs, under the direction of Director Brian Hickey, with the investigation leading to today's sentencing.



The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin, Chief of the OCDETF/Narcotics Unit in Newark.