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The Department of Justice is seeking to shut down a Detroit-based tax preparer, Crystal Ireland, and her business, Master Mind Preparation. In a civil suit, the department alleges that Ireland, who had been previously penalized by the Internal Revenue Service, falsified her clients' income in order to claim the maximum earned-income tax credit and seeks to bar her and the business from preparing income tax returns for others.

The suit alleges Ireland fabricated businesses and reported fake business income on her customers' returns to obtain larger EITC amounts. While Ireland had reportedly been penalized by the IRS for failing to comply with due-diligence requirements, a follow-up investigation revealed continuing failures and fraudulent claims.

She is accused of claiming the EITC on tax returns clients for tax years 2007 through 2009  with the IRS reducing or disallowing the credit on 93 percent of returns.

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