Web Desk
A tax preparer from Needville, Texas, has been taken into custody following accusations of helping clients file false tax returns, U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei of the Southern District of Texas announced.
Needville, located about 42 miles southwest of Houston, is where Monica Green operated her tax service business.
She was scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina A. Bryan in federal court in Houston on Tuesday.
A federal grand jury indicted Green on April 2 with six criminal counts, according to court records. The indictment was made public after her arrest.
Investigators say Green ran her tax preparation business between 2017 and 2021 and allegedly manipulated returns to reduce how much her clients owed.
Authorities claim she intentionally included fake deductions and credits on tax forms to increase refunds or decrease tax bills.
The charges outline that Green submitted false Schedule A deductions, listed nonexistent business losses on Schedule C, and even claimed education credits for schools her clients never attended.
In some cases, these fraudulent claims reached amounts in the tens of thousands of dollars.
Investigators also allege she charged clients several hundred dollars for preparing each of these questionable returns.
Upon conviction, Green could be sentenced to as much as three years of federal imprisonment for each of the six charges filed against her.
She could also be ordered to pay fines reaching $250,000 per charge.
The IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Gray is prosecuting it.
