federal court

Federal Court Bars Tennessee Resident from Preparing Tax Returns for Others

A federal district court in Tennessee has permanently barred Chattanooga resident Demita Brown-Watkins from preparing federal income tax returns for others. Brown-Watkins agreed to the civil injunction order. According to the government complaint, Brown-Watkins ran her tax-preparation business through two companies—Fastax and Rapid Tax Service—and advertised the “largest refund in town.”



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Federal Court Permanently Bars Florida “Tax Doctor” from Preparing Tax Returns

A federal court has permanently barred Harold Mette of Bradenton, Fla., from preparing federal income tax returns for others. Mette, who has a Ph.D. degree and calls his business “The Tax Doctor,” consented to the permanent injunction order, which was entered by U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.



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Federal Court Shuts Down North Carolina Tax Preparer

A federal court has permanently barred Raymond A. Renfrow of Elm City, N.C., from preparing federal income tax returns for others. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina entered the civil injunction order, which also stops Renfrow from promoting a tax fraud scheme that used sham trusts to falsely deduct customers’ non-deductible personal expenses.



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Justice Department Asks Federal Court to Shut Down Iowa Tax Preparation Firm

The United States has brought suit in federal court against Gayle Lemmon of Humboldt, Iowa. The lawsuit seeks to bar her and her firm from preparing federal tax returns for others. According to the government complaint in the case, Lemmon’s firm, Gayle’s Bookkeeping and Tax Service Inc., prepares federal income tax returns for customers that unlawfully understate tax liabilities by claiming improper deductions for the business use of the home and for non-deductible personal expenses.



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Federal Court Bars Homewood, Illinois, Tax Preparers from Preparing Federal Tax Returns for Others

U.S. District Court Judge Robert W. Gettlemen entered an order barring tax preparers, Michael J. Singleton and his wife, Ladonna Singleton, from preparing federal tax returns for others. The court’s ruling came after the Singletons failed to defend against the government’s allegations.



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Federal Court Blocks Chicago Tax Preparation Firm from Claiming Improper Tax Credits

A federal court has barred a Chicago tax preparation firm, El Caminante, Inc. and its principal operator, Maria Colica, from preparing federal income tax returns claiming false tax credits. The company and Colica agreed to the injunction. The Government civil injunction complaint filed in the case alleged that Colica fraudulently claimed fuel tax credits for customers who were not entitled to them.



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Federal Court Bars Bloomfield, Connecticut Tax Preparer from Preparing Tax Returns

A federal court has permanently barred Donald Morris of Bloomfield, Conn., from preparing federal income tax returns for others. Morris consented to the permanent injunction order, which was entered by U.S. District Court Judge Jane C. Hall in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.



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Federal Court Shuts Down Dallas Tax Preparer

A federal court in Dallas has permanently barred a Garland, Texas, man from preparing federal tax returns for others. Lucky Ngo, who operated “Lucky’s Translation and Tax Service” and “Water Inn,” prepared over 6,100 federal tax returns for customers since 2004, according to the government complaint filed in the civil injunction case. Ngo agreed to the permanent injunction order.



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Federal Court Bars Individual Return Preparers and Sarasota Firms from Preparing Tax Returns

A federal court in Tampa, Fla., has permanently barred Daniel Prewett from preparing tax returns for others. The court also barred Prewett from helping customers hide income offshore to avoid taxes, and from promoting other tax-dodging schemes. The court has also enjoined Prewett’s wife, Elizabeth George; former Prewett employees Frances Carlson, Elsie Chouinard and Natalie Swaney; and Prewett’s three tax preparation businesses, listed below. The individual defendants agreed to the injunctions.



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Federal Court Enjoins Iowa Tax Preparation Firm

A federal judge in Sioux City, Iowa, has barred a Humboldt, Iowa, woman, Gayle Lemmon, and her tax preparation business from preparing federal tax returns. U.S. District Judge Mark W. Bennett entered the preliminary injunction against Gayle Lemmon and Gayle’s Bookkeeping and Tax Service Inc. The order, which Lemmon agreed to, remains in effect until further order of the court.



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Georgia Federal Court Permanently Bars Fulton County Man from Preparing Tax Returns

A federal court in Atlanta has permanently barred Derrick Jackson and his businesses from preparing federal tax returns for others. The court said that since 2002, Jackson "has prepared blatantly fraudulent tax returns for customers." Jackson’s businesses were called Tax Wisdom and International Tax and Accounting Services.



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Federal Court Enjoins Las Vegas Man Whose Tax-fraud Scheme Is Estimated to Have Cost Treasury $31 Million

A federal court has permanently enjoined Reinhold Sommerstedt, a Las Vegas-based promoter of a sham trust tax scam.



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Federal Court Acts to Stop Alleged $30 Million Scam Involving Tax Credits Based on Fictitious Methane Production at Landfills

A federal judge in Tampa, Fla., has permanently barred eight men – including five tax preparers and two Certified Public Accountants (CPA) – from promoting an alleged tax fraud scheme involving bogus income tax credits.



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Federal Court Permanently Bars Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Firm from Preparing Federal Tax Returns for Others

A federal court has permanently barred a Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.,-area woman and her company from preparing federal income tax returns for others. According to the government complaint in the case, Carole Exantus of Plantation, Fla., operated a company called J’s Corporation in Miami. The court found that J’s Corporation repeatedly prepared federal income tax returns claiming false tax credits and deductions that it knew would result in understating customers’ tax liabilities.



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Federal Court Permanently Enjoins Founder of the “Global Prosperity” Tax Scheme

A federal court in Seattle has permanently barred Daniel Andersen from promoting fraudulent tax schemes. Documents the government filed on August 11 requested that the court enjoin Andersen, arguing that he was a founding member of the Institute for Global Prosperity, an entity that promoted both its own fraudulent tax scheme and the fraudulent tax schemes of others.



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Federal Court Permanently Bars Texas Man from Preparing Tax Returns

A federal judge in Dallas has permanently barred Lennon Madzima from preparing federal tax returns for others. The court found Madzima repeatedly understated his customers’ income tax liabilities “by negligently and willfully claiming frivolous and meritless federal fuel tax credits that had no realistic possibility of being sustained on the merits” and “by negligently and willfully inflating or fabricating telephone excise tax refund credits.”



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Federal Court Shuts Down California Tax Preparer

A federal judge in Sacramento, Calif., has barred Placerville, Calif.-based Teresa Marty and her business, Advanced Financial Services, LLC, from acting as a federal tax return preparer. U.S. District Court Judge Frank C. Damrell, Jr., of the Eastern District of California entered the preliminary injunction order, which adopted an earlier recommendation of U.S. Magistrate Judge Edmund F. Brennan.



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Federal Court Shuts Down Nevada Tax Return Preparer

A federal court has permanently barred Francis Kenneth (Frank) Albert of Sparks, Nev., from preparing federal income tax returns for others. The court found that Albert repeatedly engaged in fraudulent or deceptive conduct in preparing returns.



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Federal Court Bars Georgia Man & Tax Preparation Businesses from Preparing Returns

A federal court has permanently barred Wayne Perry, a Macon, Ga., man, and his tax preparation firms, Premier Choice Inc. and Perry Tax Services, from preparing federal tax returns. Perry agreed to the injunction.



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Federal Court Bars Texas Woman from Preparing Tax Returns

A federal district court in Texas has permanently enjoined Ludivina Salinas of Mission, Texas, from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



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Federal Court Permanently Bars Utah Man from Promoting “Asset Protection” Scheme

A federal judge in St. George, Utah, has permanently enjoined Kent Bickmore, the founder of a so-called asset-protection business, from helping customers file fraudulent liens and create hidden nominee bank accounts



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Federal Court Rules That Virginia Violated Voting Rights of Military and Overseas Citizens

A federal district court in Richmond, Va., ruled yesterday that Virginia violated the voting rights of American military personnel and other overseas citizens by failing to mail absentee ballots in sufficient time for them to be counted in the Nov. 4, 2008, general election.



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Federal Court Permanently Enjoins Iowa Tax Preparation Firm

A federal judge in Sioux City, Iowa, today barred a Humboldt, Iowa, woman, Gayle Lemmon, and her tax preparation business from claiming improper deductions on federal income tax returns.



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Federal Court Shuts Down Los Angeles Area Tax Preparer

A federal court in Los Angeles has issued permanent injunctions barring a Torrance, Calif., tax preparer, Susan Guan and her company, SRN Financial Services Inc., from preparing tax returns for others



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Federal Court Shuts Down Los Angeles Tax Preparer

The government complaint in the civil injunction case alleged that Jacqueline Cornejo promoted a tax fraud scheme designed to siphon millions of dollars from the U.S. Treasury.



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Federal Court Shuts Down Kansas City Tax Preparer

A federal court in Kansas City, Kan., has permanently barred Carlos Cruz, also known as Carlos Ruano-Cruz, from preparing tax returns for others.



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Federal Court Shuts Down Idaho Tax Preparer

A federal court has issued a preliminary injunction barring Penny Lea Jones of Idaho Falls, Idaho, from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



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Justice Department Asks Federal Court to Bar Nationwide Frivolous Lawsuit Scheme

The Department has sued George K. Pragovich of Clarksville, Tenn., to stop him from promoting an alleged nationwide scheme involving hundreds of frivolous lawsuits filed against the United States.



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Wyoming Used Car Dealer Convicted in Federal Court for Odometer Tampering

After a two-week trial, a federal jury in Cheyenne, Wyo., today convicted Randy Lee (aka Jimmy Lee) on eleven of fourteen felony counts with which he was charged.



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Federal Court Permanently Blocks Tennessee Woman from Preparing Federal Tax Returns for Others

A federal court has issued a permanent injunction barring Karen Liane Miller of Nashville, Tenn., from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



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Federal Court in Los Angeles Shuts Down Tax Firm for Requesting $23 Million in Bogus Tax Refunds

A federal court in Los Angeles has permanently barred Nyla McIntyre of Covina, Calif. and her business, Approved Financial Services, Inc., from preparing tax returns for others.



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Federal Court Permanently Shuts Down Northern California Tax Preparer

A federal judge in Sacramento, Calif., has permanently barred Teresa Marty, of Pollock Pines, Calif, and her Placerville, Calif.-based business, Advanced Financial Services LLC, from acting as federal tax return preparers.



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Federal Court Orders Kansas Tax Preparer to Stop False Claims

A federal judge in Kansas City, Kan., has issued a preliminary injunction barring a Garden City, Kan., tax preparer, Jose Lares, from preparing returns with false dependent exemptions and false filing statuses.



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Federal Court Permanently Bars Stratham, N.h., Tax Preparer from Preparing Taxes for Others

A federal district judge in New Hampshire has permanently barred Faith A. Bartlett, individually and operating as Atlantic Bookkeeping & Tax Services and Newbury Business Services Inc., from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today



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Federal Court Bars St. Louis Tax Firm from Certain Conduct

A federal judge in St. Louis has barred two St. Louis tax preparers and their businesses from certain conduct the Justice Department announced today



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Federal Court in Chicago Bars Tax Preparer from Preparing Returns for Customers

A federal judge in Chicago has permanently barred Matoi Rimes, individually and operating as Rimes Accounting Service, from preparing federal tax returns for anyone who is not a member of his immediate family.



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Federal Court Shuts Down Nebraska Tax Preparer

A federal court in Lincoln, Neb., has issued a permanent injunction barring a Lexington, Neb., tax preparer, Donald R. Ondrak, and his company, Don Ondrak P.C., from preparing tax returns for others.



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Federal Court Shuts Down Florida Tax Preparer

A federal district court in Florida has permanently barred Jacksonville resident Shirley Clark from preparing tax returns for others.



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Arkansas Private Banking System Barred from Operating by Federal Court

A federal judge in Fayetteville, Ark., has barred Wayne Hicks and his company, My Icis Inc., from operating a private banking system that allegedly helped customers avoid taxes by shielding their identities and other financial transactions from the Internal Revenue Service.



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Federal Court Shuts Down Illinois Tax Preparer

A federal judge in Chicago has issued a preliminary injunction against a Joliet, Ill., tax return preparer.



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Justice Department Asks Federal Court to Shut Down Ohio Firm That Allegedly Promotes Improper Theft Loss Deductions

The United States has sued an Ohio man and his company, seeking to bar them from promoting a scheme that allegedly helps customers claim improper theft loss tax deductions.



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Salt Lake Federal Court Bars CPA from Preparing Tax Returns for Others

A federal court in Salt Lake City has permanently barred Dick Jenkins, a CPA from Heber City, Utah, from preparing tax returns for others.



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Federal Court Shuts Down Miami Tax Preparer

A federal court has permanently barred David Santiago and his business, Santiago Investment & Consulting Inc., both based in Miami, from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Federal Court Shuts Down South Carolina Tax Preparer

A federal district judge in Columbia, S.C., has permanently barred Dorothy Lee Anderson of Hopkins, S.C., from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Federal Court Bars Georgia Man from Preparing Federal Tax Returns for Others

A federal court has barred Robert Knupp of Marietta, Ga., from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



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Federal Court Bars Kansas Man from Preparing Federal Tax Returns

A federal judge in Kansas City, Kan., has permanently barred a Garden City, Kan. tax preparer, Jose Lares, from preparing federal tax returns.



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New York Federal Court Permanently Bars Two Brothers from Preparing Tax Returns & Promoting Tax Evasion Schemes

A federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y., has permanently barred brothers Archie J. Pugh Jr. and Theodore Pugh from promoting tax evasion schemes and preparing federal income tax returns for others.



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Faisal Shahzad Pleads Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court to 10 Federal Crimes Arising from Attempted Car Bombing in Times Square

“Faisal Shahzad plotted and launched an attack that could have led to serious loss of life, and today the American criminal justice system ensured that he will pay the price for his actions,” Attorney General Eric Holder said. 



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Federal Court in Chicago Permanently Bars Mother/Daughter Team from Preparing Tax Returns for Others

A federal district judge in Chicago has permanently barred Natalie Bradford, individually, and operating as K & N Tax Pros Inc., and Kristine Burkland-Valdez, individually, and operating as K & N Tax Pros Inc. and Tax Pros Inc., from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Federal Court Bars Missouri Lawyer from Promoting Tax Schemes That Cost the U.S. at Least $100 Million in Lost Taxes

A federal court in Kansas City, Mo, has permanently barred Missouri lawyer A. Blair Stover Jr. from promoting a variety of improper tax schemes.



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