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Tina Louise Yager, a 67-year-old tax preparer from Springfield, Illinois, was sentenced on May 6, 2026, for running a scam from her position at a Jackson-Hewitt Tax Service in Republic, Missouri. Yager used her access to clients’ personal financial information to prepare and transmit fraudulent income tax returns, embezzling a total of $16,850 from the IRS and Missouri Department of Revenue. She filed tax returns for customers without their knowledge or approval, directing refunds to herself instead of the rightful owners.
Yager’s scheme involved abusing the trust of her clients, using their information to file false tax returns and pocketing the refunds. Her actions were uncovered by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations and the Missouri Department of Revenue, who worked together to bring her to justice.
As a result of her crimes, Yager was sentenced to 38 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $14,447 to the IRS and $2,403 to the Missouri Department of Revenue in restitution. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney.
The sentence handed down to Yager serves as a warning to others who would seek to exploit their positions of trust for personal gain. The investigation and prosecution of Yager’s case demonstrate the commitment of law enforcement agencies to protecting the public from financial crimes.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Defendant: Missouri
- Location: MO
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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