TWO PLEAD GUILTY TO TAX FRAUD

Jackson, Miss - Jeffery Jamison, 57, of Brandon, and Ashley Davis, 30, of Jackson, pled guilty on Thursday, March 19, 2014 before Senior U.S. District Judge Tom S. Lee to intentionally failing to file a FORM 8300 with the U.S. Department of the Treasury in relation to their business activities at a Jackson used car dealership known as Spirit Automotive, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and Jerome R. McDuffie, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation.

According to the facts disclosed during the guilty plea, Jamison, the owner of Spirit Automotive, and Davis, his employee, accepted $13,400 in cash from an undercover special agent posing as a drug dealer. Jamison and Davis arranged the purchase of the car to make it appear that Spirit Automotive had received less than $10,001 in cash for the vehicle by creating a false financing agreement.

IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge, Jerome R. McDuffie, stated: "It is a violation of the law to accept over $10,000.00 in currency for the purchase of a vehicle and not file the required forms for federal reporting purposes. Jeffrey Jamison and Ashley Davis regularly conducted business at Spirit Automotive in a manner that violates federal statute. Individuals who engage in this type of activity often provide opportunity for drug dealers and others who traffic in illegally obtained currency to launder their money at the expense of honest citizens and taxpayers. The Special Agents of IRS - Criminal Investigation stand ready to pursue prosecution in these instances, and remain committed to upholding the legal statutes that are in place to protect the sanctity of our economy."

The defendants will be sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Tom S. Lee on June 4, 2015 at 9:30. They each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.