U.S. Department of Justice

United States Attorney
Middle District of Georgia
 
Post Office Box 1702 
Macon, Georgia  31202		 478-752-3511 
FAX 478-621-2605
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 24, 2003		 CONTACT:  PAMELA LIGHTSEY


MONROE RETURN PREPARER SENTENCED

MACON: Maxwell Wood, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, and Andre' Martin, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation announce that DEMETRIA JONES, 37, of Monroe, Georgia was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Hugh Lawson on one count of Filing a Fictitious Claim with the IRS in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 287.

JONES entered a guilty plea to the charge on January 6, 2003. According to the facts stipulated in her plea agreement, she started a tax preparation business out of her home in 1994 under the name of JONES COMPUTER BUSINESS SERVICES. She subsequently changed the name to ROYAL TAX SERVICES, INC. By her own admission, Jones was the only employee of ROYAL TAX SERVICES, INC., and she never made more than $55,000-$65,000 in a year. Nevertheless, JONES devised a scheme to obtain a fictitious tax refund from the IRS. In November 1998, JONES filed a Form 44661, Overpayment of Estimated Tax, as the owner of ROYAL TAX SERVICES, INC. In that form, she claimed to have overpaid estimated income taxes for ROYAL TAX SERVICES, INC. and sought a refund for that overpayment in the amount of $644,048. In fact, JONES had made no estimated income tax payments on behalf of ROYAL TAX SERVICES, INC. and was not due any overpaid taxes as she had claimed on the Form 44661.

Judge Lawson sentenced JONES to 27 months imprisonment. She was also ordered to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $127,514.00 and to the Georgia Department of Revenue in the amount of $28,685.00.

This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica J-M Hagen prosecuted the case for the government.

For further information, contact United States Attorney Maxwell Wood or Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Hagen through Pamela Lightsey, Community Relations Specialist, United States Attorney's Office at 478-621-2603.