Wayne County Tax Preparer Sentenced To Federal Prison

NEW BERN – United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that today in federal court, United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced Tracie jones mathis , 47, of Goldsboro, North Carolina, to 57 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.  Additionally, she was ordered to pay $1,094,742.00 in restitution joint and severally with Evelyn Gomez-Allen.

MATHIS was named in a Criminal Information filed on September 20, 2012, charging her with conspiring to defraud the United States with respect to claims, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 286.  On January 16, 2013, MATHIS pled guilty to that charge. 

According to the investigation, MATHIS and her co-conspirators agreed to defraud the United States by engaging in a scheme to obtain the payment of fraudulent claims through the filing of materially false income tax forms. Particularly, MATHIS and her co-conspirators engaged in the fraudulent manufacturing of W-2 forms and identification documents to serve as supporting documentation for fraudulent 1040 forms.

"The defendant pleaded guilty to defrauding the government of nearly $2 million in phony tax returns, thereby enriching herself at the expense of the American tax payer," said Brock D. Nicholson, special agent in charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Atlanta. "HSI will continue to work with our partners at the IRS and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold accountable those who seek to game the system through criminal activity.” Nicholson oversees HSI investigations in Georgia and the Carolinas.

"Tax fraud schemes rob the United States of needed funds," stated Special Agent in Charge, Jeannine A. Hammett, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. "IRS-CI will vigorously pursue those who perpetrate these crimes in an effort to defraud the United States government." 

Investigation of this case was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and the Wilson Police Department.