Greensboro, N.C. – MARCELLUS THOMAS, 44, of High Point, North Carolina, was found guilty on federal income tax charges after a four day jury trial in Greensboro, announced Anna Mills Wagoner, United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina.

THOMAS, a commercial income tax preparer operating a company called Refund Recovery Group in High Point, was charged in an indictment returned January 28, 2008, with causing fraudulent federal income tax returns to be prepared for clients and filing them with the Internal Revenue Service for the tax years 2002-2004. Despite the fact that most of his clients were single mothers living in publicly-assisted housing and were unemployed during these years, THOMAS claimed income from fictitious businesses such as hair salons and day-care centers on their tax returns without their knowledge in order to obtain income tax refunds under the Earned Income Tax Credit to which they were not entitled. After having the Internal Revenue Service wire the refunds, which ranged from $1,377 to $2,726, to his own bank accounts, THOMAS kept a significant part of each refund as his fee.

Sentencing is scheduled for September 10, 2008, in Greensboro, and THOMAS could receive imprisonment of not more than three years and a fine of not more than $250,000 on each of the twelve counts of the indictment on which he was convicted.

The investigation of THOMAS was conducted by the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service.

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