Tax preparer pleads guilty to assisting in the filing of false tax returns

JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Survalarie Harris has pleaded guilty to aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax returns.

According to court documents, Harris worked as a tax return preparer in Jacksonville. While preparing tax returns for others, she knowingly reported false information, including false claims of having a business, to decrease the amount taxpayers would owe to the Internal Revenue Service and to increase the amount taxpayers would receive as tax refunds from the IRS. IRS agents determined that Harris falsified tax returns multiple times, specifically by creating fictitious business expenses. Despite a lack of documentation from taxpayers, she included these fictitious expenses on the tax returns, showing a net loss for a non-existent business. This would lower the taxpayer’s Adjusted Gross Income, allowing the taxpayer to apply for an Earned Income Credit.

On March 22, 2022, Harris prepared a 2021 tax return for an undercover IRS agent who posed as a customer. During the conversation, Harris told the undercover agent that the agent was going to owe money on her tax return. She asked the undercover agent if she did any work on the side, to which the undercover agent stated she sometimes braided hair. Harris told the agent that she could help her receive a refund for an additional fee. Moments later, Harris told the undercover agent that she was receiving a refund of $2,950, minus the additional fee. However, Harris did not ask for, and the agent did not provide, any documentation or information associated with business losses or income. Despite the lack of documentation, Harris prepared the undercover agent’s tax return, which indicated a net loss for a non-existent business.