Six Mobile Tax Preparers Indicted in Alabama: 9,000 False Returns Sought Over $177 Million, About $81 Million Paid Out
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Alabama announced an indictment charging six tax preparers in Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama, in an alleged tax fraud scheme: from about 2021 through 2024 the defendants allegedly filed more than 9,000 fraudulent federal tax returns seeking more than $177 million in refunds, of which approximately $81 million was issued. All six are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
According to the indictment, Jennifer Beverly, 47, owned and operated JB Accounting Tax Service LLC, which provided tax preparation services in Mobile from about 2022 through 2024. Her employees Jadasha Bowman, 28; Kennedy Lawrence Stovall Winston, 42; Solida Lucille Green, 36; Paris Lovett, also known as Paris Johnson, 30; and Shermeka Benjamin, 38, are also charged.
Prosecutors allege the returns falsely claimed items including Schedule C statements, COVID-19 credits, fuel tax credits, credit repayments, estimated tax payments, Schedule A and Schedule 3 statements, and education credits.
In addition to the conspiracy count, Beverly is charged with 63 counts of wire fraud, Bowman with 11, Winston with five, Green with 11, Lovett with 11, and Benjamin with four. The indictment includes a forfeiture notice covering money judgments and 12 real properties belonging to one or more of the defendants. Upon conviction, the defendants face imprisonment, supervised release, fines, special assessments, and restitution as authorized by law.
Maisha Horton, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation's Atlanta Field Office, said tax return preparers are entrusted with sensitive financial information and must uphold the integrity of the tax system. Christopher R. Flowers, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Mobile Field Office, said the coordinated arrests reflect the partnership between the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation. The case is part of enforcement efforts led by the Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division, the IRS, and IRS-CI, in collaboration with the FBI.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：阿拉巴马州 Mobile 市中心天际线（资料图）。照片：经 Wikimedia Commons，开放授权。 / Photo: Downtown Mobile, Alabama skyline (file photo), via Wikimedia Commons under an open license.
