Columbia, SC - United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated that Brandon Jamar Samuels age 31 of Columbia, South Carolina, was found guilty after a jury trial of conspiracy to defraud the United States in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. According to testimony presented during the trial, Samuels and his co-defendants prepared fraudulent tax returns for customers of Daitech Tax Service between 2008 and 2011. Witnesses testified that Samuels instructed them on how to claim bogus business expenses and other deductions on their tax returns in an effort to decrease their tax liability and artificially increase their tax refund. Other witnesses testified that Samuels made fraudulent claims on tax return forms without the customers’ knowledge.
Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Holloman said, "The IRS, Criminal Investigation is committed to holding unscrupulous tax return preparers accountable for the false information they add to client returns." Sentencing in the case has not yet been scheduled, but Samuels faces a maximum penalty of five years of imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. The case was investigated by Special Agents with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney T. DeWayne Pearson and John Potterfield of the Columbia office. ##
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
