Memphis tax preparer pleads guilty to preparing false returns
by: Vivian Nguyen
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis tax preparer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to helping prepare false tax returns for clients, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Selma Brinson, 64, owned and operated a tax preparation business she used to report false items on clients’ tax returns to generate inflated tax refunds, the department said.
Among other false items, Brinson also reported false fuel tax credits, false claims for residential energy credits and false health savings account deductions on client returns, they said.
She received hundreds of thousands of dollars from clients for preparing returns, authorities said. In total, she filed false returns that attempted to defraud the IRS out of more than $5.4 million.
Brinson pleaded guilty to aiding and assisting the preparation of a false tax return, the dept. said. She will be sentenced on Nov. 10 and faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison.
A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In March, WREG reported that after Brinson’s tax preparation business was expelled from the IRS electronic filing program, she allegedly had a family member apply for a new electronic filing number and continued processing tax returns, U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said.
Brinson allegedly encouraged at least two of her clients to tell investigators they did not recall their interactions with her after she learned she was the target of a federal investigation, Dunavant said.
She was initially charged with 24 counts of aiding and assisting the preparation of false tax returns and two counts of witness tampering.
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