NEW BERN - The United States Attorney’s Office announced that today in Federal court, Senior United States District Judge Malcolm J. Howard sentenced NEVADA T. BEARD, 45, of Charlotte, North Carolina to 24 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
BEARD was named in a Criminal Information filed on October 4, 2016 which charged him with making and presenting a false, fictitious and fraudulent claim for Federal income tax refund. On November 7, 2016, BEARD pled guilty to the charge.
Michael C. Daniels, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Charlotte Field Office, stated, "As we are in the midst of the tax filing season, those who might consider preparing false tax returns should be aware of the extremely negative consequences as evidenced today. Today’s sentencing of Mr. Beard again emphasizes that the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue their aggressive pursuit of those who attempt to defraud America’s tax system."
According to the IRS investigation, between approximately 2013 and 2015, BEARD operated a purported tax return preparation business, “Beard Tax Solutions," out of his then-residence in Raleigh. BEARD generated customers through word-of-mouth advertisement, referrals, and direct solicitations. After collecting a customer’s personal information, BEARD used Turbo Tax online to prepare and electronically file with the IRS a Federal income tax return that incorporated false W-2 wages, household help income, and/or other false items for the purpose of artificially inflating the tax refund amount. BEARD would not identify himself as the preparer on the face of the return, as required. The IRS investigation identified over 100 false returns attributable to BEARD. These returns generated nearly $300,000 in tax losses. Throughout the 2013 tax filing season, BEARD was on Federal supervised release for a prior firearms conviction in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Investigation of this case was conducted by IRS-Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Adam F. Hulbig prosecuted the case for the government.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
