The IRS needs to reallocate staff and resources to clear its 2021 tax return backlog, according to an audit by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. The problems cited included lack of staffing dedicated to Accounts Management cases and inefficient processes.

Two tax fraud promoters, who drew lengthy prison terms, must repay more than $26 million to the United States. Iran V. Backstrom, aka Shariyf Noble, of Milledgeville, Ga., Mehef Bey, aka Arthur Daniels, of Charlotte, N.C., and co-conspirators prepared income returns for participants in scheme involving mortgages and other debts.

Backstrom was sentenced to 105 months in prison while his second in-command, Bey was sentenced to 11 years. A

long with co-conspirators, the two used seminars held between 2014 and 2016 to convince clients that their mortgages and debts entitled them to tax refunds. They sought more than $64 million in refunds for the participant, claiming their lenders had withheld large amounts of income taxes.

The conspirators filed fraudulent tax documents with the IRS that matching withholding information on the tax returns to make them appear as if they were issued by the banks. They concealed their roles to make it appear the returns were prepared by clients. Charging from about $10,000 to $15,000 per return, the two coached participants on how to conceal the scheme from the IRS.

Two of Backstrom and Bey’s co-conspirators, Aaron Aqueron and Yomarie Febres, who have also pleaded guilty, are awaiting sentencing.

The number of returns submitted for the tax season have continue to fall further behind 2021.The total number of returns received by the Internal Revenue Sevice through March 18 were down 5.1 percent from the season through March 19, 2021.

 The number of tax returns received for the tax season through March 11 dropped 3.9 percent from period ended March 12, 2021. Meanwhile, the decline in the number of self-prepared returns also accelerated.