A Minneapolis, Minn.-based tax preparer, who fled to South Africa to avoid sentencing on Aug. 18, 2016, was sentenced this week to 121 months in prison. Kenneth Mwase drew the sentence after pleading guilty in 2014 to one count of conspiracy to defraud the Government and one count of aggravated identity theft, and in November pleaded guilty to failure to appear.

The Internal Revenue Service expects the first refunds will got out to taxpayers next week with many paid by mid-to-late February as in past years. The agency made that statement as tax season opened this week and it works to return operations to normal following the government shutdown.

Taxpayers need additional and more extensive relief from penalties for withholding and estimated tax payments, the American Institute of CPAs said this week. The AICPA wrote to leaders of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service saying relief is needed because so many are unable to adjusting withholding and estimated payments for 2018 because of the changes brought about by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.