A tax preparer from St. Clair County is in hot water with the feds, accused of cooking her own books. Dormeshia A. Haire, 36, from St. Charles, Missouri, has been hit with federal charges for alleged fraudulent maneuvers on her personal income tax returns, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's office.
The charges were handed down by a federal grand jury, accusing Haire of three counts of making false statements on her returns, as the Justice Department reported. "Tax preparers must work ethically and abide by federal law, or face consequences from the IRS for intentionally making a false statement, committing fraud and ultimately causing the Government to lose significant tax dollars," U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe was cited.
Court documents reveal that Haire, who charged clients for tax filing and identity theft monitoring services, allegedly did not report her true gross receipts on her 2019, 2020, and 2021 tax returns. Instead of the $0, $23,834, and $50,323, she claimed for these years, the IRS estimates she actually raked in upwards of $43,000, $192,200, and $323,396 respectively.
"IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) continues to make it a top priority to track down return preparers who have demonstrated they cannot be trusted," Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. Murdock, of the St. Louis Field Office, stated. Noting the severity of the charges, the article clarifies that an indictment is merely a formal charge, and under the law, a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
If convicted, Haire could face up to three years in the slammer per count and shell out fines that could top $100,000 for each false statement. The IRS CI is leading the charge on the investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Howard prosecuting the case.
