Two Georgia sisters-in-law, Angela Miller and Lee Lynwood, were sentenced to prison for their involvement in a conspiracy to defraud the United States. Miller, 48, of Milledgeville, Georgia, and Lynwood, 47, of Eatonton, Georgia, each received a 12-month and one-day prison sentence to be followed by one year of supervised release.
The sisters-in-law were ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $44,214.62. They pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States on February 10.
According to court documents, Miller and Lynwood operated a tax return preparation business and conspired to inflate their clients’ federal tax refunds from at least January 2008 through at least March 2010. They manipulated tax returns to reflect false business income or loss amounts and claimed deductions and credits, such as the First-Time Homebuyer Credit, that their clients were not entitled to receive.
The sisters-in-law also took steps to continue their scheme by impeding the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) efforts to shut down their ability to electronically file tax returns. When the IRS notified Miller and Lynwood that their Electronic Filing Number (EFIN) for filing electronic returns at their tax preparation business, A&L Tax Services, was being revoked in May 2008, they had an acquaintance apply for another EFIN in her name.
Miller and Lynwood used this new EFIN to continue filing fraudulent tax returns and conceal their preparation from the IRS. They also changed the name of their business to B&F Tax Services and caused a bank account for the B&F Tax Services to be opened in the acquaintance’s name as a nominee.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo commended special agents of IRS–Criminal Investigation for their role in investigating the case and thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Georgia for their assistance, as well as Trial Attorneys Alexander R. Effendi and Hayden M. Brockett of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.
The case serves as a reminder of the importance of ensuring the integrity of the tax system and the consequences of those who seek to exploit it.
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Related Federal Cases
- Sisters-In-Law Guilty Of Tax Fraud · Georgia
- Montgomery Debt Collector and Son-in-Law Hit With 85-Year Sentence for ID Theft Tax Fraud · Alabama
- Cordele Woman Indicted for Stealing Identities in Tax Fraud Scheme · Georgia
- Pine Mountain Tax Preppers Accused of Fraudulent Returns · Georgia
- Upson Co. Woman and Sumter Co. Resident Indicted in Tax Fraud Scheme · Georgia
Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Category: White Collar Crime|Tax Evasion|Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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