Alabama Tax Preparer Sentenced to 33 Months for Filing False Returns: Tax Loss Topped $1.6 Million, With $328,158 Owed to the IRS
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Markita Latrice Thornton, 40, of Cowarts, Alabama, was sentenced on November 10, 2026, to 33 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for aiding and assisting in the preparation and filing of false federal income tax returns on behalf of her clients. United States Attorney Thomas Govan for the Middle District of Alabama and Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Patrick M. Palmer of IRS Criminal Investigation's Atlanta Field Office announced the sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to her plea agreement and other court records, Thornton began preparing tax returns for clients at a tax preparation business in Dothan, Alabama, in 2016. She generally did not require payment when services were rendered; instead, her preparation fees were deducted from clients' tax refunds before the refunds were issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
In one example in her plea agreement, on January 6, 2022, Thornton prepared and filed a federal income tax return for a client that falsely reported $10,995 in business income from a business she knew did not exist.
Thornton further admitted that on February 1, 2023, she prepared and filed a false return for a client suffering from dementia. That return falsely claimed a dependent, improperly claimed education credits tied to that purported dependent, included a $4,113 fuel tax credit for an off-highway business for which the client was not eligible, and falsely reported $12,105 in net profit from a purported repair business that did not exist.
Thornton admitted she knowingly prepared and filed false returns to generate refunds greater than those to which her clients were legally entitled. Court records state that the two false returns identified in the plea agreement were representative of only a portion of her broader criminal conduct.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered Thornton to pay $328,158.34 in restitution to the IRS. She admitted in her plea agreement that her conduct caused an actual tax loss to the government of more than $1.6 million, and she agreed to forfeit $76,783.50 in proceeds from preparing false returns for taxpayers identified during the investigation.
U.S. Attorney Govan said tax preparers have a duty to file accurate returns and preserve the integrity of the tax system, and that those who knowingly submit false information to obtain fraudulent refunds will be held accountable. He urged taxpayers to review their returns carefully before filing, noting that a preparer who asks a client to sign a blank return, refuses to sign as preparer, or fails to provide a copy should prompt additional scrutiny.
The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan A. Kirkpatrick prosecuted. (Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Montgomery 的 Frank M. Johnson Jr. 联邦大楼与联邦法院，阿拉巴马中区联邦法院所在地。Carol M. Highsmith 摄，Wikimedia Commons，公共领域。 / Image: The Frank M. Johnson Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Montgomery, home to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. By Carol M. Highsmith, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
