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.
Before You Dismiss This Article…
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
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.
