Rocky Mount Tax Return Preparer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy and Filing False Tax Returns

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Rocky Mount, NC woman pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to prepare and file false tax returns.

According to court documents, Bertha Battle, aka “Bug”, 40 years old, conspired with others to file false tax returns for the 2013 through 2016 tax years for clients of Community Tax Services LLC located in Rocky Mount. Battle and her co-conspirators allegedly filed tax returns that claimed false education credits, among other illegitimate items, in order to fraudulently generate clients’ tax refunds.  The IRS total loss was 2.2 million dollars.  Battle previously pled guilty to similar federal tax charges in 2009.

Battle pleaded guilty today to a conspiracy to prepare and file false tax returns and faces up to five years imprisonment when she is sentenced during the court’s November 2020 term.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly Swank accepted the plea.  The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI) assisted in this investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Ontjes is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on our website.  Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:19-CR-00077-1FL.

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