District of Columbia Tax Return Preparer Indicted for Preparing False Tax Returns

A federal grand jury returned an indictment April 12 charging a District of Columbia tax return preparer with 35 counts of aiding in the preparation of false tax returns, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

Joann Little, 59, of Suitland, Maryland, made her initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia this afternoon on the federal charges. According to the indictment, Little worked at a tax return preparation business called Instant Tax Service, presently operating under the name Speedy Tax Service, which is located at 1002 H Street, NE, in Washington, D.C.  The indictment alleges that Little prepared false personal income tax returns for clients for tax years 2009 through 2014.  She is alleged to have attached schedules that reported inflated or fictitious deductions, which resulted in fraudulently claimed income tax refunds.  

If convicted, Little faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each count.

An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. 

Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo thanked special agents of Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case and Trial Attorney Jason Scheff and Assistant Chief Karen Kelly of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case. 

Additional information about the Tax Division’s enforcement efforts can be found on the division’s website.