San Antonio tax preparer Natasha Sheree Banks-Brown, 45, who ran a business called Tasha's Total Tax Service, has been convicted by a federal jury on 11 counts of aiding or assisting in the filing of false tax returns. Prosecutors said she inflated clients' deductions and credits, funneled refunds into a bank account she controlled and then kept a cut of the cash. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 13, 2026.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas, IRS Criminal Investigation opened a probe in December 2020 after spotting a growing number of suspicious returns tied to Banks-Brown. Evidence at trial showed she prepared nearly 1,200 tax returns between 2017 and 2021 that generated more than $8 million in federal refunds.
How the scheme worked
Prosecutors said Banks-Brown used tax-preparation software that let her steer client refunds into a bank account she controlled, then passed along only a portion to the taxpayers while pocketing the rest. Several clients testified that they never received copies of their returns or went over the filings with her, according to News 4 San Antonio. Court records show she began operating Tasha's Total Tax Service in 2016.
Investigation and trial
Banks-Brown was indicted on April 3, 2024, and arrested on April 16, 2024. Jury selection began April 6, and the four-day trial opened on April 7 before U.S. District Judge David Ezra, according to the federal press release. "Everyone rightly wants to get the best deal on their tax preparation and the largest refund possible, but some things are just too good to be true," U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons said.
Acting Special Agent in Charge Rodrick Benton of IRS Criminal Investigation's Houston Field Office said investigators used undercover agents to document the tax preparer's conduct. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Chung and Ryan Groomer and investigated by IRS-CI.
With sentencing set for July, Simmons urged taxpayers to thoroughly check out anyone preparing their returns, insist on copies of everything they sign and be wary of red flags such as promises of unusually large refunds or instructions to route refunds through accounts controlled by the preparer.
