A Union City man has been sentenced to a seven-year prison term after being convicted for executing a substantial fraud scheme, which targeted COVID-19 relief funds. Dantavious Jackson, 39, was also ordered to pay over $1.5 million in restitution to the IRS, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Margaret E. Heap for the Southern District of Georgia.
Jackson, who also ran a trucking business alongside his illegitimate tax preparation service, failed to obtain a preparer identification number ("PTIN"), a requirement for anyone preparing federal tax returns for a fee. His scheme involved the falsification of thirty-five IRS Forms 941, claiming they were entitled to $4,112,297 in tax refunds from the employee retention credits (ERC) provided by the CARES Act. This act, legislation officiated since March 27, 2020, was designed to help businesses keep employees on the payroll amidst the pandemic.
The U.S. Attorney's Office press release detailed that Jackson's fraudulent filings resulted in the U.S. Treasury dispatching $1,567,855 in illegitimate tax refunds to himself and, clients he deceived. Jackson had created fabricated wages and employees to bolster his claims for ERCs.
Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, with the IRS Criminal Investigation Atlanta Field Office, conveyed a commitment to relentlessly pursue and prosecute individuals such as Jackson, who take advantage of government funds at critical times. "During FY25, IRS Criminal Investigation initiated 588 investigations involving more than $5.6 billion of potentially fraudulent Employee Retention Credits related to tax years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024," Hardeman told the U.S. Attorney's Office. The case against Jackson was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs, III. There is no parole in the federal system, which means Jackson is expected to serve the full duration of his 84-month sentence.
