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Defendant Found in Contempt for Continuing Tax Return Scam
A federal court in the Southern District of Florida has found Norman G. Williams Jr., a Lieutenant firefighter with the City of Miami, in contempt of court for continuing to prepare tax returns in violation of a preliminary injunction and a permanent injunction. The court ordered that he disgorge to the United States more than $40,000 in return preparer fees that he earned for tax returns prepared in violation of the injunctions.
Williams was previously ordered in 2022 to disgorge over $26,000 in ill-gotten gains after the court permanently enjoined him from preparing tax returns for others. Despite the court’s orders, Williams continued to engage in the return preparation activities, endeavouring to conceal them by preparing returns under his fiancée’s name and preparer tax identification number.
The court found that Williams willfully violated the injunctions by preparing another 173 tax returns, including 36 returns for other firefighters. Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Tax Division made the announcement.
The incident highlights the importance of remaining vigilant when seeking a return preparer. Return preparer fraud is one of the IRS’ Dirty Dozen Tax Scams. Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should be cautious and do their research.
The IRS has a wealth of information on its website for choosing a tax preparer, including a free directory of federal tax preparers and information on how to avoid ‘ghost’ tax preparers. The IRS also offers a checklist of things to remember when filing income tax returns in 2022.
In the past decade, the Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
The case serves as a reminder of the importance of combating tax return fraud and protecting innocent taxpayers from unscrupulous individuals.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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