Florida tax preparer sentenced to federal prison for preparing false tax returns

Date: Sept. 20, 2024

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Tallahassee, FL - Cedrick Campbell, of Quincy, Florida, was sentenced to a term of 24 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to eleven counts of aiding in preparing false tax returns and ordered to pay $378,041 in restitution. The sentence was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

"The United States relies on the honest payment of taxes to defend our country and maintain its operations," said U.S. Attorney Coody. "With the assistance of our dedicated partners at IRS Criminal Investigation, we are committed to investigating and prosecuting those who steal from hard-working American taxpayers - whether by traditional evasion or the filing of fraudulent claims to further their criminal schemes."

Between 2018 and 2022, Campbell, ran an unofficial tax preparation business from his home in Quincy, Florida, where he prepared and filed false tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service. Campbell falsely represented the taxpayers' deductions, credits, and the refund due.

"A tax preparer who fraudulently inflates your refund isn't doing you any favors," said Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Tampa Field Office. "Instead, it exposes clients to penalties and interest to be paid and dealt with for years to come. An honest preparer will be transparent and willing to explain everything that you're entitled to. Unscrupulous preparers, like Mr. Campbell, should know that they will be investigated and face serious consequences."

This conviction was the result of an investigation by IRS-CI. Assistant United States Attorney Gary Milligan prosecuted the case.

IRS-CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. IRS-CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a more than a 90 percent federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 12 attaché posts abroad.