Court Permanently Shuts Down Atlanta-Area Tax Preparer's Business and Orders $567,000 Disgorgement
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Nov. 10 that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia has issued a permanent injunction against tax return preparer Tanja D. Hollis of Griffin, Georgia, and her business, Tanja Tax Preparations, LLC, barring her from acting as a return preparer, preparing tax returns or assisting others in preparing them, engaging in conduct that substantially interferes with the proper administration and enforcement of the internal revenue laws, and from promoting any false tax scheme.
According to the court's order, Hollis knowingly prepared and filed federal income tax returns that understated taxpayers' liabilities, fraudulently claiming business expenses for customers who did not own or operate a business and education expenses for customers who were not enrolled as students. The court also found that she manipulated customers' adjusted gross income by reporting fictitious business profits to claim greater earned income tax credits than they were entitled to receive. The court found that 90 percent of the returns Hollis prepared between 2022 and 2025 claimed these fictitious items.
The court also ordered Hollis to disgorge $567,000 to the United States, the ill-gotten gains she received for preparing the fraudulent returns. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Joshua Wu of the Civil Division's Tax Litigation Branch made the announcement; Trial Attorney Matthew L. Paeffgen handled the matter.
The Justice Department noted it has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers over the past decade, and that the IRS offers guidance on choosing a return preparer and a free directory of federal tax preparers.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于亚特兰大的 Richard B. Russell 联邦大楼与法院，佐治亚州北区联邦地区法院所在地。DukeArcTerex 摄，CC BY 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Richard B. Russell Federal Building and Courthouse in Atlanta, home of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. By DukeArcTerex, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
