Federal Court Bars Two Managers of Florida Tax Preparation Stores from Owning a Tax Return Preparation Business and Preparing Tax Returns for Others | WPN World People News

A federal court in Orlando, Florida, has permanently barred two managers of tax preparation stores in Florida from preparing tax returns for others and from owning or operating a tax return preparation business, the Justice Department announced on February 6.

The civil injunction order, to which Jehoakim Victor and Lauri Rodriguez agreed, was signed by Chief Judge Anne C. Conway of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

The United States filed its civil injunction complaint in September 2014 against Kerny Pierre-Louis, Rodriguez and Victor. Rodriguez and Victor managed and supervised employees at LBS Tax Services stores, which were owned by Pierre-Louis. According to the complaint, both Rodriguez and Victor were paid, in part, based on a percentage of the gross tax preparation fees that the locations charged its customers. The government alleged that they, and return preparers they supervised, prepared fraudulent federal tax returns on which they falsely claimed the earned-income credit and bogus education credits, report improper filing statuses, inflated federal income tax withholdings and fabricated business expenses.

The lawsuit against Pierre-Louis, Rodriguez and Victor is one of eight suits filed by the United States in Florida against Walner Gachette, the founder and franchisor of LBS Tax Services, and numerous other LBS franchisees and managers. The other cases, as well as the claims against Pierre-Louis in this case, remain pending.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice