An Augusta woman has pleaded guilty to running a “ghost” tax preparation business out of her home.
Kim Brown, 40, faces up to three years in prison on each of two counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation and filing of false tax returns, a period of supervised release after serving her sentence, and monetary penalties.
According to a plea agreement entered Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, Brown failed to comply with IRS requirements by failing to identify herself as a paid preparer on the tax returns she filed on behalf of her clients.
She also fabricated income to qualify her clients for tax credits, claimed fake deductions to boost the size of the refund, and charged clients a fee based on a percentage of the refund.
In all, Brown prepared 22 false tax returns that cost the U.S. Treasury Department $541,912 in false refunds.
The case was investigated by the IRS’ Criminal Investigation Division and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs III.
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Dave Williams | Capitol Beat News Service
Dave Williams is the Bureau Chief for Capitol Beat News Service. He is a veteran reporter who has reported on Georgia state government and politics since 1999. Before that, he covered Georgia’s congressional delegation in Washington, D.C.
