Five Alabama Tax Return Preparers Charged with Tax Fraud

WASHINGTON – A group of five tax return preparers were indicted in the Middle District of Alabama on tax fraud charges, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. James E. Moss, who owned and operated “Flash Tax,” was charged with four of his employees by a grand jury sitting in Montgomery, Ala. Moss along with Lutoyua N. Thompson, Chiquita Q. Broadnax, Avada L. Jenkins and Melinda M. Lambert were each charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and 27 counts of assisting in the preparation of false tax returns.

According to the indictment, the group conspired to knowingly place false information on taxpayers’ returns in order to obtain higher tax refunds from the IRS. The indictment further alleges that the group sought at least $129,266 in fraudulent tax refunds from the IRS.

An indictment merely alleges that a crime has been committed, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum of 86 years in prison.

The case is being investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Brown and by Tax Division Trial Attorneys Charles M. Edgar, Jr. and Michael Boteler.

More information about the Justice Department's Tax Division and its enforcement efforts is available at www.justice.gov/tax/ .