Pensacola Tax Preparer Found Guilty of Preparing False Tax Returns

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Benell English, 57, of Pensacola, was found guilty of 18 counts of preparing false tax returns yesterday following a three-day federal jury trial in Pensacola.  The verdict was announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

English, the tax return preparer at Select Tax Service on E Street in Pensacola, was found guilty of preparing and filing false tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service between 2013 and 2017.  English fraudulently represented that the taxpayers had Schedule A itemized deductions, Schedule C business losses or profits, and/or household employee income without the taxpayers’ knowledge.  English earned approximately $10,600 for preparing the 18 false returns.  As a result, the Internal Revenue Service paid $182,887 in refunds that should not have been paid.

The maximum penalty for each count is three years in prison.  Sentencing is scheduled for August 19, 2018, at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola.

This case resulted from an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and the Social Security Administration-Office of Inspector General.  Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes is prosecuting the case.

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.