Florida Men Indicted in Tax Refund Fraud Scheme

A federal grand jury in Orlando has indicted three Florida men for their involvement in a tax refund fraud scheme. 

In Orlando, a federal grand jury has issued an indictment that was unsealed recently, charging three individuals from Florida with various offenses connected to a tax refund fraud operation.

According to the indictment, spanning from 2015 to 2018, Christopher Johnson from Orlando and Jasen Harvey from Tampa allegedly conspired to promote a scheme. This scheme involved Harvey and others preparing tax returns for clients that falsely reported substantial income tax withholdings to the IRS. 

This resulted in tax refunds for the clients that they were not entitled to receive. Both Johnson and Harvey reportedly charged clients a fee for each return. Johnson is accused of not reporting his share of these fees on his personal tax returns.

The indictment also alleges that in January 2020, a federal judge issued an order restraining Harvey from preparing tax returns for others. Despite this court injunction, Harvey continued to prepare and submit returns from 2020 to 2021.

Furthermore, the indictment claims that Arthur Grimes from Orlando and Ocoee, Florida, participated in the scheme. He is accused of causing four false income tax returns prepared by Harvey to be filed. 

When the IRS attempted to recover a refund allegedly issued to Grimes based on a false income tax return, Grimes is said to have made false statements to an IRS revenue officer, submitted false documents to the IRS, transferred funds to a nominee bank account, and obstructed IRS collection efforts in various ways.

Each of the individuals, Johnson, Harvey, and Grimes, faces charges that include aiding in the preparation of false tax returns, conspiring to defraud the United States, filing false personal tax returns, criminal contempt, and corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the due administration of the internal revenue laws. 

These charges carry varying maximum statutory penalties.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department's Tax Division, along with U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida, announced these charges. 

The case is under investigation by IRS-Criminal Investigation.

 

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