A Gadsden County tax preparer has been charged with wire fraud, identity theft and aiding in preparing false tax returns, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced this past Tuesday.
John Jean-Gilles, 33, of Midway, was arraigned this past Friday, March 8 in the U.S. District Court in Tallahassee after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with 27 counts of aiding in preparing false tax returns, four counts of wire fraud, and aggravated identify theft. The indictment was announced by Lawrence Keefe, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
The indictment alleges that, while working as the sole managing member and owner of Tallahassee-based USA Tax and Multi-Services, LLC, Jean-Gilles prepared federal income tax returns that falsely reported taxpayers’ incomes, withholding, credits, and the refund due for the tax years 2012-2015.
The indictment also alleges that he used the social security number and preparer tax identification number of another individual without proper authority.
Jean-Gilles could face more than two decades in federal prison, according the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The maximum penalty for aiding in preparing false tax returns is three years in prison. The maximum penalty for wire fraud is 20 years in prison. There is also a two-year mandatory minimum prison sentence for aggravated identity theft consecutive to any other sentence imposed.
Jean-Gilles is set to go on trial at 8:15 a.m., April 15, at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee.
The case stems from a joint investigation by the Internal Revenue Service and the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office, a U.S. Attorney’s Office news release states. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Milligan is prosecuting the case.
Special to The Herald
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