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Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – John Jean-Gilles, 33, of Midway, was arraigned on Friday, March 8, 2019, in the U.S. District Court in Tallahassee after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with 27 counts of aiding in preparing false tax returns, four counts of wire fraud, and aggravated identify theft. The indictment was announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
The indictment alleges that Jean-Gilles was the sole managing member and owner of USA Tax and Multi-Services, LLC, a tax preparation business in Tallahassee. Jean-Gilles caused the preparation of federal income tax returns, which falsely reported the taxpayer’s income, withholding, credits, and the refund due for the tax years 2012-2015. The indictment also alleges that he used the social security number and preparer tax identification number of another individual without proper authority.
The maximum penalty for aiding in preparing false tax returns is three years in prison. The maximum penalty for wire fraud is 20 years in prison. Jean-Gilles faces a 2-year mandatory minimum prison sentence for aggravated identity theft consecutive to any other sentence imposed. The trial is scheduled for April 15, 2019, at 8:15 a.m. at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee.
This case resulted from an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Gary Milligan is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Amy Alexander, Public Information Officer
amy.alexander@usdoj.gov