Cameron Summers was sentenced on June 15 by U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig to one year and one day in prison for two counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, according to a June 17 announcement from Brad D. Schimel, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Summers was found guilty of claiming false expenses, credits, and refunds on his clients’ tax returns.
Court records show that Summers worked at a Milwaukee tax preparation business beginning in 2018. Between 2020 and 2022, he filed over 400 individual income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service using his own name, preparer identification number, and business name. The filings included inflated refund amounts based on false business expenses as well as Sick and Family Leave Credits, Fuel Credits, and Educational Tax Credits. Notations on some returns indicated that Summers had “boosted” refund amounts; during an interview with the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, he said he did everything possible to get a large refund by using whatever numbers were available and maximizing credits.
During sentencing, Judge Ludwig cited several factors including the serious nature of Summers’ conduct, losses to the IRS exceeding $1.1 million, and the need for deterrence. In addition to imprisonment, Summers was ordered to pay more than $1.1 million in restitution and serve one year of supervised release.
“When someone commits tax fraud, they are stealing from all Americans who work hard and pay their taxes honestly,” Schimel said. “Anyone who commits fraud should expect to be sent to the federal penitentiary, like this defendant.”
The Department of Justice announced on April 7 the creation of its National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”), which is tasked with investigating fraud against Americans as part of President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud—a government-wide effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance targeting fraud within federal benefit programs.
IRS Criminal Investigation handled this case while Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. Scully prosecuted it. According to the official website, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin serves Eastern Wisconsin as a federal prosecutorial entity working alongside law enforcement partners at all levels to ensure public safety.