Justice Department Asks Federal Court to Shut Down South Florida Tax Return Preparer | WPN World People News

A Broward County, Florida, man prepares fraudulent tax returns and should be barred from preparing federal tax returns for others, according to a civil complaint filed by the Justice Department on April 18.

The civil complaint against Eli St. Phard was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The complaint alleges that St. Phard prepares income tax returns that fraudulently understate his customers’ tax liabilities by falsely claiming deductions for business expenses his customers never incurred, fraudulently overstating his customers’ claims for refunds by falsely claiming education or fuel tax credits to which his customers are not entitled, or both. According to the complaint, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) audited 340 of the more than 3,132 returns St. Phard prepared since 2009 and found that St. Phard understated the tax owed on all but five of the 340 returns—a total of more than $1.8 million in understatements. As a result of St. Phard’s fraudulent activities, many of his customers are now liable for significant tax deficiencies, penalties and interest, the complaint alleges.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice