North Texas tax preparer gets more than 6 years for $2.6 million in tax fraud
A 51-year-old North Texas man has been sentenced to more than six years in prison for tax fraud worth $2.6 million, officials said.
Anthony Floyd of Kennedale pleaded guilty in February to 10 counts of aiding in the preparation and presentation of false tax returns. On July 29 he was sentenced to 77 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $1.9 million in restitution, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
Floyd filed around 400 tax returns containing false information to increase the amount of government refund to the taxpayer, according to court records. Most or all of the refunds went into his own account, the release states.
Floyd rarely met with his clients in person, according to the release. He obtained their personal tax information over the phone or by text and submitted the returns without reviewing them with the taxpayer.
He added false information, like nonexistent charitable donations, college attendance that didn’t happen and fictitious relatives to the forms, the release states. Floyd’s scheme cost the U.S. government more than $2.6 million.
Christopher Altemus Jr., special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Dallas Field Office, said taxpayers are responsible to make sure their returns are accurate, even if prepared by a professional.
“Mr. Floyd took advantage of his neighbors by preparing fraudulent tax returns and trying to steal approximately $2 million from the U.S. government,” Altemus said in the release. “His sentence of 77 months in prison holds him accountable for his crimes.”
Floyd recruited his victims outside big box stores or through other clients, according to the release.
