Columbia Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Preparing False Tax Returns

Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Marilyn Kirkland was sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty to aiding and assisting in the preparation of false income tax returns.  Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr., of Columbia, sentenced Kirkland to 27 months in federal prison. The judge further ordered that Kirkland repay $903,402 in restitution and, after her release from the Bureau of Prisons, that she serve one year of court-ordered supervision.

Evidence presented to the court showed that from 2014 through 2016, Marilyn Kirkland operated a tax return preparation business in Columbia, South Carolina.  Kirkland fraudulently increased her clients’ tax refunds by preparing returns that reported fictitious income and expenses for businesses in order to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit.  Kirkland also included false education credits.  In total, Kirkland prepared approximately 500 fraudulent tax returns that included over $900,000 in false claims from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Agents of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case.  Assistant United States Attorney John C. Potterfield of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.

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