Nikia Tull, Tax Fraud, Virginia 2021

Nikia Tull, a 43-year-old woman from Norfolk, has been convicted of 5 counts of wire fraud and 33 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false and fraudulent income tax returns.

Tull served as the co-owner and operator of YT Phoenix Enterprises, Inc., aka Phoenix Financial Tax Service, a tax preparation service in the Hampton Roads area. Between 2014 and 2018, Tull willfully aided and assisted in, and counseled and advised the preparation and presentation to the IRS of 33 federal income tax returns containing numerous false and fraudulent items.

In 2019, Tull continued her fraud by submitting forged and fraudulently altered bank statements to FORA Financial LLC, a private lending company located in New York, in support of loan applications for thousands of dollars.

The jury convicted Tull on all 38 counts of wire fraud and aiding and assisting in the preparation of false and fraudulent income tax returns. She is scheduled to be sentenced on April 12, 2021.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel P. Shean and Joseph L. Kosky. G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar accepted the verdict.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-9.

Tull’s conviction is a significant blow to tax fraud in the Hampton Roads area. The case serves as a reminder to taxpayers to be cautious when selecting tax preparation services and to ensure that their tax returns are accurate and truthful.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/jury-convicts-hampton-roads-tax-preparer-fraud