A Kennedale tax preparer was sentenced to over six years in federal prison following a guilty plea to a charge of $2.6 million tax fraud, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton announced. The tax preparer, Anthony “Tony” Floyd, 51, faced ten counts of aiding in the preparation and presentation of false tax returns, to which he pleaded guilty as his trial was set to begin after jury selection, the U.S. Department of Justice reported.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman handed down a 77-month prison sentence to Floyd and also ordered him to pay more than $1.9 million in restitution. Floyd's operation involved around 400 fraudulent tax returns which inflated refund amounts due to taxpayers by using falsified information — including, but not limited to, untrue W2s, charitable deductions, and college attendance claims.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Floyd recruited clients outside popular retail stores and through word-of-mouth, collecting their personal and financial information over text messages and calls, often without in-person interactions. He then filed the returns without client review, directing most or all of the refund to his accounts, "Mr. Floyd’s sentencing sends a message that tax fraud is not a victimless crime," stated Christopher J. Altemus Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, "Mr. Floyd took advantage of his neighbors by preparing fraudulent tax returns and trying to steal approximately $2 million from the U.S. government."
