Jessica Hills, Tax Fraud, Georgia 2015

ATLANTA, Georgia - In a shocking case of tax evasion, two sisters, Jessica Hills and Kiisha Hills, were sentenced for their roles in a tax fraud scheme involving Direct Tax, a tax preparation business with three locations in the Atlanta-College Park area.

The Hills' scheme involved stealing the identities of thousands of taxpayers and using the information to steal millions of dollars from the U.S. Treasury by filing fraudulent tax returns. According to U.S. Attorney John Horn, the Hills' actions were a reminder that taxpayers should carefully guard their Social Security numbers and other sensitive personal information and monitor any tax filing made on their behalf.

Jessica Hills, the owner and operator of Direct Tax, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison, followed by three years supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $954,756.00 to the IRS and $62,528.00 to the Georgia Department of Revenue. Jessica Hills was convicted on August 25, 2015, after she pleaded guilty to the charges.

Kiisha Hills, the supervisor at one of the Direct Tax offices, was also sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison, followed by three years supervised release, and ordered to pay $346,850.00 in restitution to the IRS, and $9,248 to the Georgia Department of Revenue. Kiisha Hills was convicted on September 14, 2015, after she pleaded guilty to the charges.

The Hills' scheme was uncovered by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Georgia Department of Revenue, Social Security Administration, and U.S. Secret Service. Special Assistant United States Attorney Diane C. Schulman and Assistant United States Attorney Samir Kaushal prosecuted the case.

During tax years 2012, 2013, and 2014, Direct Tax filed over 2,000 federal income tax returns, seeking millions of dollars in refunds. The returns included either fraudulent information designed to increase the refund amount, or were filed using stolen identities. Direct Tax not only continued to file fraudulent tax returns after College Park police executed a search warrant at the College Park location, it also filed fraudulent tax returns after the IRS canceled its electronic filing number and after Jessica L. Hills was detained on federal charges.

In total, Direct Tax filed returns claiming over $4 million in tax refunds. The Hills' actions were a reminder that tax fraud is a serious crime and can result in significant prison time and financial penalties.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/former-owner-and-former-supervisor-direct-tax-preparation-business-sentenced-tax-fraud