The owner and operator of Grant Tax Service, a tax preparation business in Vineland, N.J., has been indicted by a federal grand jury on 18 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns and five counts of filing false income tax returns.
According to prosecutors, owner Wilford Grant allegedly prepared fraudulent tax returns for approximately 26 clients for tax years 2008 through 2011, claiming false filing statuses, fabricating and inflating itemized deductions and fabricating education expenses. The fraudulent returns allegedly caused a tax loss to the government in excess of $103,000.
For the same tax years, Grant allegedly prepared fraudulent tax returns for himself and his wife by falsifying his and his wife’s filing status and failing to report income earned by Grant Tax Service. In addition, for the 2012 tax year, Grant allegedly failed to report the income his tax prep service on his personal tax return.
If convicted, Grant faces up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the counts.
The investigation was conducted by IRS-Criminal Investigation’s Newark Field Office, under the direction of special agent in charge Jonathan D. Larsen and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, under the direction of U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman. The government was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Richardson.
