A Georgia woman who served her town as a councilwoman was recently the target of an investigation. A local television station is purportedly claiming that their investigative reporting has led to the woman now facing new allegations of committing fraud as a tax preparer, in addition to a felony charge from an earlier allegation. She was taken into custody after authorities located her at her daughter’s home.
The Georgia Department of Revenue has also alleged that the woman misused the title of being an enrolled representative of the Internal Revenue Service which she did not apparently have the right to use. Using this term on her official paperwork as a tax preparer is supposedly misleading, as it can only be obtained after much training and official certification. The woman has also been accused of committing fraud and misappropriating an estimated $200,000 from a tax customer using a fraudulent investment plot.
The woman is facing a felony charge for allegedly lying while under oath during a legal proceeding more than three years ago regarding that same alleged plot. Now, the television station is claiming that its investigation uncovered the biggest tax-related fraud of this type in Georgia’s history. The revenue agency has filed an injunction against both the councilwoman and her daughter in an effort to prevent them from conducting business as tax preparers this tax season.
The woman does have the right to contest the injunction but it is not known if she will elect to do so. She is also accused of padding refunds for many of her clients which will require them to repay the amounts to the IRS. The authorities claim that they will be filing additional charges against her as they complete their work on this case. She is undoubtedly working with her legal team to examine any evidence the state plans to use against her and deciding the best way to refute these allegations. She is most likely also assembling the best defense possible against these felony charges.
Source: wsbtv.com, “Councilwoman charged after Channel 2 investigation“, Jodie Fleischer, Jan. 11, 2017