April 2nd, 2008
Memphis Woman Sentenced in Tax Scheme
Memphis, TN – Tanisha Burris, 30, of Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge J. Daniel Breen to serve 5 months in prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release with 5 months home detention announced David Kustoff, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. Judge Breen also ordered Burris to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service of $28,552.76.
Burris pled guilty on October 30, 2007, to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. She was indicted on December 19, 2006, on the conspiracy charge and 15 counts of filing false claims against the government. According to the indictment, from January 2001 until approximately April 2002, Burris conspired with others to file false, fictitious, and fraudulent claims for payment by causing others to file false 2000 and 2001 federal income tax returns claiming refunds with the Internal Revenue Service. The indictment alleges that Burris prepared the returns that claimed larger refunds than the individuals were entitled to receive. The false returns allegedly contained either inflated or completely bogus W-2 forms, false Education Tax Credits, false Schedule C businesses, false Itemized Deductions, false Child Tax Credit, or false Earned Income Credit to boost the refund amounts.
In some cases, the indictment states, Burris demanded money for filing the inflated returns. The fifteen false 2001 tax returns charged in the indictment for various individuals claimed refunds totaling more than $49,000.
This investigation was conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U. S. Attorney Stephen P. Hall represented the government.
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