Georgia Tax Crooks Get Prison Time

PINE MOUNTAIN, GA – A brazen scheme to pad tax refunds and boost business at a Pine Mountain tax prep shop landed a husband and wife in federal prison this week. Detrick and Natashia Tucker, owners of T&T Express Tax, were sentenced for their roles in a multi-year fraud that bilked the US government out of over $1 million.

Detrick Tucker received a sentence of 12 months and one day behind bars after pleading guilty to aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. His wife, Natashia Tucker, the driving force behind the fraudulent filings, will serve a much longer 46-month sentence for conspiring to defraud the United States. The Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Michael J. Moore for the Middle District of Georgia announced the sentences, a clear signal that tax fraud won’t be tolerated.

Court documents reveal the Tuckers deliberately inflated refunds for their clients, not for the benefit of those clients, but to attract more business to T&T Express Tax. Detrick Tucker set up the business and registered it with the IRS, facilitating the electronic filing of the false returns. He also knowingly allowed Natashia to use his IRS credentials to file her own bogus returns – a blatant disregard for the law.

Natashia Tucker was the primary preparer, and the architect of the fraud. She abused the Earned Income Tax Credit and fabricated business information to artificially inflate refund amounts. Over three years, T&T Express Tax filed at least 268 fraudulent federal tax returns, claiming over $1,000,000 in false refunds. The operation was a systematic effort to steal from American taxpayers.

Beyond the prison sentences, the courts have ordered significant restitution. Natashia Tucker must pay back $1,483,025, while Detrick Tucker is responsible for $66,235. While restitution doesn’t undo the damage, it’s a step towards holding these criminals accountable. The investigation was a joint effort by special agents of the IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Georgia Department of Revenue.

Trial Attorneys Alexander Effendi and Charles Edgar Jr. of the Tax Division successfully prosecuted the case. Anyone with further inquiries should contact Pamela Lightsey at the United States Attorney’s Office at (478) 621-2603. This case serves as a stark warning: playing fast and loose with tax returns will land you in a federal courtroom – and likely, a prison cell.