Two Brothers Plead Guilty to Preparing False Tax Returns

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two brothers who formerly operated a tax preparation business in Kansas City, Missouri, pleaded guilty in federal court today to preparing false tax returns.

Eliyas Jiregna, 34, of Kansas City, and his brother, Eyob Jiregna, 42, of Memphis, Tennessee (formerly of Kansas City), pleaded guilty in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough. Eliyas and Eyob Jiregna each pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return.

Eliyas Jiregna owned and operated a tax preparation business, Tax-N-Go Services, with three locations in Kansas City, Missouri: 1108 E. Armour Blvd., 7934 Troost Ave., and 10411 Blue Ridge Blvd. Eyob Jiregna prepared tax returns at the 1108 E. Armour Blvd. office during the 2015 return filing seasons. 

Under federal statutes, Eliyas and Eyob Jiregna each are subject to a sentence of up to three years in federal prison without parole. Under the terms of their plea agreements, Eliyas and Eyob Jiregna must pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service in the total amount of federal tax loss as determined by the court at sentencing. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas M. Larson and Matthew N. Sparks. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.