TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – John Jean-Gilles, 34, of Midway, Florida, was sentenced to 52 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of aiding in preparing false tax returns, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Jean-Gilles was also ordered to pay $1,984,357 in restitution. The sentence was announced today by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Between 2012 and 2016, Jean-Gilles, the sole managing member and owner of USA Tax and Multi-Services, LLC, a tax preparation business in Tallahassee, prepared and filed false tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service for various individuals. Jean-Gilles falsely represented the taxpayers’ income, withholdings, credits, and the refund due.
“The integrity of our system of taxation lies at the heart of what we do as a nation, and those who try to defraud the system will pay the price,” Keefe said. “The trust of the American people relies on fair administration of our tax laws, and this defendant violated that trust and will now face the consequences.”
Assistant United States Attorney Gary Milligan is prosecuting the case following an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation with the assistance of the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office.
“Tax return preparers are trusted by their clients to accurately and correctly file tax returns to the IRS each year – part of every American’s responsibility. However, the filing of false claims with the government, claiming more than $2 million in false tax refunds, makes every taxpaying citizen a victim,” stated Mary Hammond, Special Agent in Charge for IRS Criminal Investigation’s Tampa Field Office. “IRS and its Special Agents will work diligently with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to insure that, as we come upon tax filing season, the public can rest assured fraudulent tax filings will not go unpunished in the Northern District of Florida.”
