Tax Cheat Linzell Harris Sentenced to Up to 3 Years for False Tax Returns

Kansas City, Mo. – Linzell Harris, a 67-year-old tax preparer from Kansas City, Mo., will spend the next three years behind bars for his role in creating dozens of false tax returns.

Harris owned and operated The MJM Group, Inc., a tax preparation business, from 1999 through 2022. He pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return.

According to court documents, Harris prepared returns for at least 12 taxpayer clients, resulting in at least 43 false income tax returns for tax years 2015 through 2019. The total tax loss to the IRS for those tax years was a staggering $124,308.

In addition to his role in the false tax returns, Harris admitted to not filing personal tax returns for 2015 and 2016, causing an additional tax loss of $60,753. The total tax loss caused by Harris’s actions is a whopping $185,061.

Under federal statutes, Harris is subject to a sentence of up to three years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Cooper. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation. Harris’s sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.