PENSACOLA, FLORIDA - Christopher Jacob Rankins, 32, of Pensacola, Florida, has pled guilty to twelve counts of aiding or assisting others in the preparation of false tax returns. The guilty plea was announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Documents introduced at the time of the guilty plea reflect that, between Jan. 1, 2011, and May 8, 2012, while working as a tax preparer at American Tax Service in Pensacola, Florida, Rankins aided, assisted, counseled, and advised others in the preparation and presentation of fraudulent and false tax returns. The tax returns prepared by Rankins falsely represented the taxpayers’ business expenses and falsely claimed educational credits which resulted in tax payers receiving approximately $356,172 in refunds and credits that the taxpayers were not entitled to receive.
The charges were the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Ryan Love.
As to each of the twelve counts, Rankins faces a maximum of three years in prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 19, 2017, at 2:00 p.m. at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola.
United States Attorney Canova said: “Fraudulent tax returns steal from the millions of honest taxpayers who fulfilled their tax obligations accurately and on time. My office is committed to working with our law enforcement partners, such as the Internal Revenue Service, to ensure that tax dollars are used for their intended purpose."
“We owe it to honest, hardworking taxpayers to investigate and assist in prosecuting unscrupulous return preparers who steal from the American citizens through the filing of false tax returns," said IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Mary Hammond.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
