TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — A Gadsden County tax preparer has been sentenced to 52 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of aiding in preparing false tax returns, wire fraud and identity theft.
According to a federal indictment, John Jean-Gilles, 34, was arraigned in the U.S. District Court in Tallahassee on back in March of 2019.
Officials say a federal grand jury indicted him on 27 counts of aiding in preparing false tax returns, four counts of wire fraud, and aggravated identify theft.
The indictment was announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
The indictment alleges that Jean-Gilles was the sole managing member and owner of USA Tax and Multi-Services, LLC, a tax preparation business in Tallahassee.
Documents say Jean-Gilles caused the preparation of federal income tax returns, which falsely reported the taxpayer’s income, withholding, credits, and the refund due for the tax years 2012-2016.
The indictment also alleges that he used the social security number and preparer tax identification number of another individual without proper authority.
Jean-Gilles was also ordered to pay $1,984,357 in restitution. The sentence was announced Monday by the U.S. District Court in Tallahassee
This case resulted from an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office.
