CHICAGO — A man from the suburbs of Chicago has been charged with preparing and filing 51 fraudulent tax returns, as detailed in a federal court indictment. Cedrick Taylor is accused of preparing 45 individual tax returns for several people from 2018 to 2023, in the U.S. District Court in Chicago. The indictment alleges that Taylor helped to fraudulently overstate tax credits, deductions, and expenses, thereby unlawfully reducing individuals' tax liabilities and claiming undeserved refunds.
The charges also include accusations against Taylor for filing his own tax returns with misrepresented tax credits and underreported income. Taylor, aged 40 and resident of Winfield, Illinois, faces 45 counts of willfully preparing false tax returns for others and six counts of filing false returns for himself. Each charge carries a potential penalty of up to three years in federal prison. His arraignment in federal court has yet to be scheduled.
The official announcement of the indictment came from Andrew S. Boutros, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, alongside Ramsey Covington, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI Chicago Field Office. The government’s case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Snell.
The public is reminded through this indictment that it does not serve as evidence of guilt. Taylor remains presumed innocent, retaining the right to a fair trial where the government holds the responsibility of proving his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
