North Carolina Tax Return Preparer Sentenced to Prison for Tax Fraud

A Raleigh, North Carolina, man was sentenced to 45 months in prison today for conspiring to defraud the United States, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon Jr.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2011 through 2014, Garvey Imhotep conspired with others to file false tax returns for clients of several tax return preparation businesses, including Tax Kings, Two Brothers Tax Service, and Taxes Done Right. Imhotep and his co-conspirators filed returns claiming false education expenses and other fraudulent items in order to increase clients’ tax refunds. To conceal his involvement and evade Internal Revenue Service (IRS) detection, Imhotep used tax preparer identification numbers that are assigned to other individuals. Imhotep’s conduct caused a tax loss of more than $1.5 million to the United States.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III, ordered Imhotep to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $2,144,888 in restitution to the IRS.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Higdon commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case, and Assistant United States Attorney Ethan Ontjes and Trial Attorney Lauren Castaldi of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting this case. 

Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.