(St. Louis, MO) The owner of a Mo’ Money Tax franchise was sentenced to 20 months in prison for falsely claiming educational tax credits on 47 returns.
Fifty-seven-year-old Jimi Clark pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy to commit tax fraud and aiding and betting the preparation of false tax returns.
Clark, who supervised tax return preparation at his franchise, abused the AO Credit Program during the 2009 filing season to attract and retain clients, according to the Department of Justice.
Sybil Smith, special agent in charge of IRS criminal investigation said, “While most return preparers provide excellent service to their clients, a few unscrupulous tax preparers file false and fraudulent returns to defraud the government, the tax-paying public and their own clients.”
The tax loss from the 47 false claims was more than $50,000.
His co-defendants – Justin Buford, Leslie Chaney, Ray Reed and Mary Taylor – also pleaded guilty to related charges and have been sentenced.
