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Fort Worth Woman Sentenced for Tax Crimes
FORT WORTH, Texas — In a shocking case of tax evasion, Ramona C. Johnson, a Fort Worth, Texas-based tax preparer, was sentenced to 170 months in federal prison for her role in a conspiracy to aid and assist in the preparation and presentation of false tax returns, announced John Parker, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
Johnson’s scheme, which began in 2008 and continued until 2011, involved preparing and filing false and fraudulent tax returns that included various false and fraudulent schedules, deductions, exemptions, and credits with the goal of reducing the amount of taxes owed by the taxpayers and obtaining larger refunds for the taxpayers than they were entitled to receive.
Johnson’s daughter-in-law, Nekia N. Everson, was also convicted of conspiracy and aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of false tax returns, and was sentenced to 95 months in federal prison.
According to evidence presented at trial, Johnson and Everson, and those working with them, prepared and filed false and fraudulent tax returns that included various false and fraudulent schedules, deductions, exemptions, and credits. In some instances, they created false and fraudulent Schedule C forms to accompany the taxpayer’s Form 1040, listing personal expenses, such as those incurred commuting to and from work, cell phone, automobile, clothes, etc., as business expenses or unreimbursed employee expenses.
Between January 2008 and October 2011, Johnson’s tax preparation business collected more than $1.9 million in tax preparation fees from clients. Johnson and Everson were each convicted on multiple counts of conspiracy and tax-related offenses, including aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return, filing a false tax return, and conspiracy to aid and assist in the preparation and presentation of a false tax return.
Johnson must surrender to the Bureau of Prisons by June 5, 2015. The IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Johnson’s sentence serves as a reminder of the importance of upholding the integrity of the tax system and the consequences of engaging in tax evasion and conspiracy.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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