Hammond Woman Was Operating Fraudulent Tax Preparation Business

Acting U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that ROJONAH HARRIS (35) of Hammond was sentenced November 16, 2017 for aiding and abetting in the preparation of false tax returns. She was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay $1,115,578 in restitution.
HARRIS owned and operated a tax preparation business in Hammond and, in various ways, fabricated and falsified supporting documentation to generate large refunds for clients.  HARRIS charged substantial tax preparation fees for the preparation and transmittal of these tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service. She earned not less than $582,090 in return preparation fees for preparing tax returns for tax years 2011 through 2013.
In total, between tax years 2011 and 2014, HARRIS prepared and filed not fewer than 267 false and fraudulent tax returns, resulting in inappropriate and unnecessary refunds of not less than approximately $1,115,578.