Three Louisiana tax preparers have been accused of a variety of tax return offenses, including charging fees as high as $1,100 for preparing returns and often deducting these from client refunds. The three—Morgan Antoine, Jennifer Austin, and Brittany Patterson—were indicted on a variety of counts involving return and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.The indictment alleges that during 2015 the three conspired to file false returns while working at Pelican Income Tax and Payroll Service, a tax preparation business in Kenner and Westwego, La.
They allegedly used phony income, withholdings and dependents to inflate requested refunds. They are also accused of filing returns in the name of a third-party whose identity had been stolen. Antoine and Patterson are additionally accused of falsifying their personal returns by claiming false deductions.
The indictment includes one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, 14 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a fraudulent tax return, three counts of wire fraud, and three counts of aggravated identity theft,.
Each of the three faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for the conspiracy charge and three years for each count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a fraudulent tax return. Antoine and Patterson face an additional twenty years in prison for each count of wire fraud and a two-year mandatory minimum for each count of aggravated identity theft
