New Haven Man Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Tax Fraud

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that WILLIE E. McKAY, 41, of New Haven, was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 18 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for assisting in the preparation and filing of false tax returns.  McKAY also was ordered to pay a $3,000 fine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from as early as 2005 through 2008, McKAY was the pastor of The Love Temple Church, Inc., located at 75 Fresh Meadow Road in West Haven.  During that time, McKAY provided people, including those in his congregation, with income tax preparation services.  In February 2007, McKAY prepared and electronically filed a fraudulent individual U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, Form 1040, for 2006 of a taxpayer who was a member of his congregation.  The tax return listed the address of Love Temple Church as the taxpayer’s home address, which was not accurate, and included a fictitious Form W-2 reflecting inflated wages and withholdings.  The return also reflected fictitious deductions for state and personal property taxes, which reduced the taxpayer’s taxable income.

The fraudulent tax return that McKAY prepared reported wages of $47,900 from the State of Connecticut, withholdings of $14,952, and Schedule A deductions for state taxes of $4,359 and personal property tax of $852.  Based on the false claim, the IRS issued a refund check in the amount of $9,693.

McKAY knew that the taxpayer was a student working at school and was not entitled to the claimed refund.  McKAY also did not identify himself as the preparer of the tax return.  According to the IRS, the taxpayer was entitled to a federal tax refund of only $363.

Chief Judge Hall ordered McKAY to pay $9,693 in restitution to the IRS.

On April 3, 2015, McKAY, pleaded guilty to one count of making a false claim to the Internal Revenue Service.  In pleading guilty, McKAY admitted that he prepared and filed other false tax returns for the 2005 through 2007 tax years.

McKAY’s criminal history includes multiple state larceny convictions, and a federal wire fraud conviction for which he received 10-month prison term in May 2000.

McKAY, who is released on bond, was ordered to report to prison on March 31, 2016.

This matter was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division with the assistance of the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Hartford Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter S. Jongbloed.