Tallahassee Tax Preparer Charged with Preparing False Tax Returns

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Kenneth Alexander, 46, of Tallahassee, was arraigned today in the U.S. District Court in Tallahassee after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with nine counts of preparing false tax returns, filing a false tax-related document, theft of government funds, and aggravated identity theft.  The indictment was announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

The indictment alleges that Alexander, the sole shareholder of Wizard Business Center, a tax preparation business in Tallahassee, prepared and filed false tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service for various individuals between 2012 and 2016.  The indictment alleges that Alexander falsely represented the taxpayers’ Schedule A itemized deductions, Schedule C and E losses, and marital status.

The maximum penalty for each count of preparing false tax returns and filing a false tax-related document is three years in prison.  The maximum penalty for theft of government funds is 10 years in prison.  The penalty for aggravated identity theft is two years consecutive to any other sentence imposed.  The trial is scheduled for September 10 at 8:15 a.m. at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee.

This case resulted from an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation and the Emerald Coast Financial Crimes Task Force, which includes IRS Criminal Investigation and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the Treasury Inspector General’s Office for Tax Administration.  Assistant United States Attorney Gary Milligan is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt.  All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.  For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.