Related Federal Cases
Philadelphia Man Indicted for $4M Tax Credit Scam
Jonathan Brownlee, a 45-year-old Philadelphia man, has been indicted on 16 counts of filing false federal income tax returns that contained fraudulent claims for the first-time-homebuyer credit.
According to the indictment, Brownlee allegedly obtained personal information about several individuals through false pretenses and used that information to make false claims for the credit to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), along with requests that refunds be deposited into bank accounts that he controlled or could access.
Brownlee allegedly knew the individuals whose names he used were not entitled to the credit because they had neither purchased a home nor signed a contract to do so.
He faces a maximum prison sentence of 80 years and a maximum fine of $4 million if convicted.
The indictment was announced by Zane David Memeger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; Acting Assistant Attorney General John A. DiCicco of the Tax Division; and Special Agent-in-Charge Eric Hylton with the IRS Criminal Investigation Division Field Office in Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department has also filed six lawsuits in five states to stop tax return preparers from fraudulently claiming the first-time homebuyer tax credit and the earned-income tax credit.
Three of the lawsuits involve the first-time homebuyer credit: Jose Cabrera and his business, JEC Business Consulting of Pharr, Texas; Friday James, a former high school math teacher from Lansdowne, Pa.; and Delois Warren of Greensboro, Alabama.
According to the lawsuits, Cabrera claimed at least $985,000 in credits in 2009, while James allegedly claimed at least $1.2 million in credits in 2009.
The Justice Department’s efforts to halt tax scams involving false claims for tax credits are part of its continuing efforts to protect honest taxpayers and prevent those who fraudulently file tax returns from getting away with it.
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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