TRENTON, N.J. - A Union County, New Jersey certified public accountant who ran a tax return preparation business with his wife was sentenced today to four years in prison for his role in a multi-year tax fraud scheme, in which he filed hundreds of false tax returns with the IRS to generate fraudulently inflated refunds for clients, some of which he took for himself, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Anne E. Thompson in June 2015, Courtney Johnson, 45, of Union Township, New Jersey, was convicted of six counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false federal income tax returns. Judge Thompson imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court. Johnson’s wife, Carol Johnson, 45, who ran the business with him, previously pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony and was sentenced Nov. 5, 2015, to three years of probation. The Johnsons operated tax preparation businesses in South Orange and Jersey City, New Jersey.
According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:
Courtney Johnson prepared and filed federal individual income tax returns that were materially false and fraudulent. The returns attached schedules for fictitious businesses that the taxpayers did not own or operate, inflated charitable contributions, fabricated itemized deductions - all to generate fraudulently inflated refunds.
Judge Thompson also sentenced Courtney Johnson to one year of supervised release, fined him $50,000 and ordered him to pay $10,280 in restitution. She ordered Carol Johnson to pay $93,385 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty verdict.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jane H. Yoon and Jillian J. Reyes of the Criminal Division in Newark.
Defense counsel:
Courtney Johnson: Thomas R. Ashley Esq., Newark
Carol Johnson: Leslie Sinemus Esq., South Orange, New Jersey
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
