Michael Brier, Tax Return Preparation Fraud, Rhode Island 2023

Providence Tax Return Scammer Banned from Preparing Federal Tax Returns

A federal judge in Providence, R.I., has entered a preliminary injunction against Michael Brier, individually, and doing business as Refunds Now Inc., RNTS Inc., FTIRS Inc., POTIRS Inc. and IHIRS Inc. from preparing federal tax returns for others.

Brier, along with his employees Jeffrey Sroufe, Refunds Now’s director of operations, and Esther Santiago, RNTS’s president, have been accused of fabricating deductions and tax credits on the returns, for which they had no support.

The court found that at least 300 returns prepared by Brier and Refunds Now understated customers’ tax liabilities. In one case, a Refunds Now employee offered to provide a customer with fake receipts in order to substantiate amounts reported on her federal tax return.

The Justice Department’s Tax Division has obtained hundreds of injunctions against tax fraud promoters and dishonest tax return preparers over the past decade.

Brier and his employees have been accused of taking advantage of unsuspecting taxpayers, leaving them with potential financial and legal consequences.

The Providence tax scam has raised concerns about the integrity of the tax preparation industry and the need for increased oversight.

The Justice Department has made it clear that it will continue to crack down on tax scams and fraud.

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