May 7, 10

NEWS / Federal Court Shuts Down South Carolina Tax Preparer

Hopkins, South Carolina, Woman Fabricated Tax Returns and Directed Tax Refunds to Her Own Bank Accounts

WASHINGTON - 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, the Justice Department announced today. According to the order, Anderson is a return preparer operating under the name, "DL Anderson Tax Service." The court also ordered Anderson to provide her customer lists to the government and to mail copies of the court order to her former customers.

The court found that Anderson fraudulently prepared and filed tax returns using individuals’ names and social security numbers without their knowledge or authorization. Anderson’s preparation of false and fraudulent tax returns caused the United States to issue substantial tax refunds. The court found that Anderson deposited more than $290,000 in fraudulently obtained tax refunds into bank accounts she controlled, and then absconded with over $220,000 in fraudulently obtained refunds for her personal use.

Over the past decade, the Justice Department’s Tax Division has obtained more than 465 injunctions to stop tax fraud promoters and tax return preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department website.

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/May/10-tax-541.html