Cleveland tax preparer Leona T. Moore, 38, aka Leona McDonald, is staring down 34 federal charges tied to an $800,000 scam that exploited the U.S. tax system for personal gain. Prosecutors say Moore weaponized her business—operating as Leona Moore Tax Services or Moore’s Tax Service—to file rigged returns for unsuspecting clients, funneling massive fraudulent refunds from the IRS.
Between 2013 and 2015, Moore allegedly cooked the books with false claims of self-employment, wildly inflated income, and phantom dependents. The goal: maximize payouts from the Earned Income Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit. Each return was a calculated lie, designed to extract cash the government never intended to pay.
Moore didn’t work in silence. She built her client base through word of mouth and Facebook, marketing herself as a trusted tax professional while quietly dismantling the integrity of the filing system. Clients weren’t just duped—they were complicit, splitting the illegally obtained refunds with Moore as if it were a twisted business model.
The scheme unraveled under scrutiny from IRS Criminal Investigation, whose Cincinnati Field Office traced the paper trail back to Moore’s doorstep. Now, Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy Stemen and U.S. Attorney Carole S. Rendon are leading the charge to hold her accountable in federal court.
If convicted, Moore faces a sentence determined by the court, weighing her role, criminal history, and the severity of the violations. While the statutory maximum looms, actual time served could be less—though no amount of leniency erases the damage done to public trust.
A criminal information has been filed—no trial yet, no conviction. Moore is innocent until proven guilty. But the government’s burden now is clear: prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she didn’t just cut corners, but orchestrated a full-scale fraud operation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann C. Rowland is leading the prosecution.
Related Federal Cases
- Cleveland Non-Profit Director Pleads Guilty in Tax Fraud · Ohio
- Bay Village Man Faces Mail Fraud & Tax Evasion Charges · Ohio
- Cleveland’s Jocelyn Hale Sentenced for Financial Fraud · Ohio
- Cleveland Non-Profit Head Gets Prison, Fines for Tax Violations · Ohio
- Cleveland Man Sentenced for St. Paul Croatian Credit Union Fraud · Ohio
Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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