Illinois Federal Court Enjoins Certified Public Accountant from Specific Conduct

A federal court in East St. Louis, Illinois, permanently barred Ronald Manis, a certified public accountant, of Carbondale, Illinois, from engaging in certain conduct, the Justice Department announced today. This includes preparing or filing federal tax returns by improperly claiming deductions for commuting to and from work, unsubstantiated meals and entertainment expenses, or other non-deductible personal expenses.

The injunction order also bars Manis from misrepresenting his ability to practice before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and requires Manis to hire, and pay for, a third party monitor to review a sample of tax returns prepared by Manis each year for five years. Manis agreed to the injunction without admitting the allegations in the complaint.

Return preparer fraud is one of the IRS’ Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2014. The IRS has some tips on their website for choosing a tax preparer. In the past decade, the Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of fraudulent tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page . If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.

Related Materials:

United States v. Ronald E. Manis
Stipulated Final Judgment of Permanent Injunction Against Ronald Manis