Houston Federal Court Shuts Down Tax Return Preparer

2017-10-18

On Oct. 16, a federal court in Houston, Texas, permanently enjoined Felisha Gibson and Ms. Lesa’s Tax Service LLC from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced on October 17. Gibson agreed to a civil injunction order entered against her that requires her and Ms. Lesa’s Tax Service LLC to cease preparing tax returns for others. The injunction also requires Gibson to produce a list of her customers to the United States.

According to the government’s complaint, Gibson, through her business located in Houston, Texas, routinely prepared federal tax returns for customers that reported false, improper, or inflated expense deductions and business income, as well as false claims for education tax credits and improper dependents. For example, the complaint alleges that a customer reported that Gibson fabricated a business with income and expenses for tax years 2013 and 2014, and falsely claimed an education credit in her tax returns even though the customer never attended college.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice