KC Tax Preparer Sentenced to Up to 3 Years for $185K Tax Scheme

Kansas City, MO – A Kansas City, Mo., tax preparer has been caught red-handed, pleading guilty to aiding the preparation of dozens of false tax returns.

Linzell Harris, 67, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return.

Harris owned and operated The MJM Group, Inc., a tax preparation business, from 1999 through 2022. By pleading guilty today, Harris admitted that he willfully exaggerated and fabricated multiple deductions and credits for his clients to obtain large refunds.

The total tax loss to IRS for tax years 2015 through 2019 as a result of Harris’s false tax returns was $124,308.

In addition to assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, Harris admitted he did not file personal tax returns for 2015 and 2016, causing a tax loss of $60,753.

According to the Department of Justice, the total tax loss caused by Harris’s preparation of false tax returns and his failure to file personal tax returns is $185,061.

Under federal statutes, Harris is subject to a sentence of up to three years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Cooper. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.