RICHMOND COUNTY, Ga. — A Richmond County woman has been sentenced to 22 months in federal prison for operating a ‘ghost’ tax preparation business in Augusta, and defrauding the IRS.
Kim Brown, 40, was sentenced after pleading guilty to two counts of Aiding and Assisting in the Preparation and Filing of False Income Tax Returns.
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“In collaboration with our law enforcement partners, we continue to pursue those who defraud the government,” Margaret E. Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, said in a statement. “Kim Brown stole money from taxpayers, and this sentence holds her accountable.”
Court documents show that Brown operated her tax preparation business from her home in Augusta in 2022.
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The justice department said she acted as a ‘ghost preparer’ by failing to identify herself as a paid preparer on the tax returns she filed for her clients.
Brown fabricated income to qualify her clients for tax credits and claimed fake deductions to increase refund amounts, according to officials.
Then, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said she charged clients a fee based on a percentage of the tax refund and did not provide them with copies of their tax returns or review them before filing.
The fraudulent activities resulted in the U.S. Department of Treasury issuing $541,912 in false tax refunds.
Brown was ordered to pay back the money as restitution and serve a year of supervised release after her time in prison.
“Not signing off on a tax return is just one of the signs someone is acting as a ghost preparer,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office.
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