Philadelphia Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to 15 Counts of Assisting in the Preparation of False Tax Returns, Three Counts of Filing False Tax Returns

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that James J. Sirleaf, 65, of Darby, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today before United States District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond to engaging in a multi-year scheme to assist clients with filing false income tax returns to fraudulently increase their refund amounts, as well as to filing false personal income tax returns for himself.

In April 2023, Sirleaf was charged by indictment with 15 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false income tax returns and three counts of filing false personal income tax returns, and he pleaded guilty to all charges.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, at the time of the charged conduct, Sirleaf was the was the sole owner and operator of Metro Financial Services Inc., a tax preparation business in Philadelphia. Sirleaf prepared false and fraudulent Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Forms 1040, or U.S. Individual Tax Returns, for client taxpayers for at least tax years 2016 through 2019.

Sirleaf included falsities on the tax returns — including false deductions, fabricated business expenses, and/or false dependent information — resulting in tax calculations lower than what the clients actually owed.

In addition, Sirleaf filed false returns for himself for tax years 2017 through 2019, failing to fully report his income, which resulted in an additional tax loss to the IRS.

In total, Sirleaf’s scheme caused a tax loss to the IRS of $219,622.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on September 3, 2025, and faces a maximum possible term of 54 years’ imprisonment.

This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eileen Castilla Geiger.