Jerome Osuamadi Nwabueze, Tax Fraud, North Carolina 2022

A Raleigh man has been hit with 27 counts of tax fraud after allegedly filing false returns to secure higher refunds for his clients, according to a federal indictment.

Jerome Osuamadi Nwabueze, a former owner and operator of Total Tax Services in High Point, North Carolina, faces charges of preparing and filing false tax returns and obstructing the IRS between 2018 and 2022.

According to the indictment, Nwabueze fabricated or inflated wages and withholdings, business income and expenses, and education expenses to secure higher refunds for his clients. He also allegedly prepared and filed false tax returns for himself that reported similar false items and omitted income he earned from preparing tax returns.

The false tax returns generated refunds for Nwabueze to which he was not entitled, prosecutors allege. When the IRS audited Nwabueze in 2020, he fabricated tax documents and provided them to the IRS, further obstructing the agency’s efforts.

If convicted, Nwabueze faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each of the 27 false tax return charges and three years in prison for the obstruction charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg and U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Hairston made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation is leading the case, with Trial Attorney Isaiah Boyd and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Waid prosecuting.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and Nwabueze is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Defendant: Jerome Osuamadi Nwabueze

Criminal Charges: Preparing and filing false tax returns and obstructing the IRS

City and State: Raleigh, North Carolina

Date: Between 2018 and 2022

Sentence or Outcome: Nwabueze faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each false tax return charge and three years in prison for the obstruction charge

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