PALM BEACH COUNTY WOMAN CHARGED FOR PREPARING FRAUDULENT INCOME TAX RETURNS
Jeffrey H. Sloman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Daniel W. Auer, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, today announced the arrest and unsealing of an indictment against defendant Marvel Ebanks, of West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach, and unincorporated Palm Beach County, on twenty-two counts of assisting and advising in the preparation and presentation of fraudulent income tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), in violation of Title 26 U.S.C. ยง 7206(2). Ebanks is being detained pending a pre-trial detention hearing, scheduled for Friday, April 16, 2010 before Magistrate Judge Linnea R. Johnson.
The indictment alleges that Ebanks owned and operated Marvelous Enterprises Inc, a tax return preparation business located in Palm Beach County, Florida. Ebanks operated her business from her various residences in Palm Beach County. The indictment further alleges that Ebanks prepared and caused to be submitted Individual Income Tax Returns claiming tax refunds on behalf of various taxpayers, knowing that these returns contained materially false information. Specifically, Ebanks claimed nonexistent expenses or inflated itemized deductions making it appear that the taxpayers would be due a larger tax refund than was allowed from the IRS. The taxpayers were typically only sent the signature page of their returns and were unaware of the false information that Ebanks used to inflate their refunds.
If convicted, the maximum statutory term of imprisonment is 3 years as to each of the preparation and presentation of fraudulent income tax return counts.
Mr. Sloman commended the investigative efforts of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emalyn Webber.
An indictment is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
