St. Louis, MO - Three tax preparers who worked for Tax King, a local tax preparation business, have been charged for their alleged preparation of false tax returns for customers for tax years 2011 and 2012.
BROOKLYN WHITE, WILLIE KNOX and ANGEL BAILEY-DYSON, all of St. Louis, were each indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple counts of filing false tax returns. The indictment alleges that the three defendants falsely and fraudulently minimized their customers’ liability and thereby maximized their customers’ tax refunds.
"Return Preparer fraud is a priority for IRS Criminal Investigation and we have committed many resources to investigating and prosecuting cases just like these," said Tanya Brewer, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, St. Louis Field Office. "Taxpayers should be selective in choosing a return preparer, and have confidence knowing that person will prepare accurate tax returns and safeguard their financial information."
If convicted, each count carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and/or fines up to $100,000. In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.
This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.
As is always the case, charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
