(Memphis) The controversy continues with Mo’ Money Taxes.
“I was asking what was going on, they wouldn’t even tell me.”
That’s what a man, who wouldn’t give us his name, told us as he was driving away from Mo’ Money Taxes Wednesday.
WREG On Your Side Investigators didn’t get detailed answers either from the IRS Criminal Investigative Division.
Agents spent the day hauling boxes from suite to suite at Mo’ Money headquarters.
When asked what they were taking from inside, “I can’t answer that right now,” replied Agent George Villhard.
Villhard did confirm the IRS was at the Memphis based tax preparation firm on “official business.”
Mo’ Money has been at the center of controversy since February, when angry customers complained about late refunds.
Congressional leaders have asked the Department of Justice to investigate, and the states of Illinois and Missouri have filed suits against Mo’ Money.
“Look at the owners, cause they’re only the employees who work here, so I don’t think it’s nothing they’ve done, they need to look at Markey and whatever the other guy name,” said Sheila Hamilton who identified herself as an employee’s mother.
We contacted Mo’ Money Co-Founder Markey Granberry.
He claims the IRS came at their request, “We need to make sure all the consumers in the United States get their money in this process and from this software company. We’ve been calling the IRS for two to three months to see why these people aren’t receiving their refunds.”
Meanwhile, employees left at the Millbranch office to deal with agents from the IRS CID weren’t as forthcoming. “I mean, I don’t have nothing to say,” said Shewanda Hamilton.
WREG On Your Side Investigators spoke to Congressman Steve Cohen by phone.
He also released the following in a statement.
“There is no room in Memphis for tax preparation scams that prey on the poor and middle class. The U.S. Department of Justice has assured us that they take the complaints circulating throughout Memphis about possible scams and delayed tax refund returns seriously and have shared the information we provided with the relevant government agencies. If there was any wrongdoing, I have the utmost faith that the Department of Justice, the IRS, and the other federal agencies that might be looking into this will discover it and address the issue.”
We also asked Cohen about the earlier request for a congressional hearing.
He said nothing has been scheduled at this time.
The Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs is also looking into complaints against Mo’ Money.
We spoke with attorneys who say they’ve taken about 50 complaints from customers across the country, and they are in the process of evaluating those claims.