Evergreen Reporter

A tax preparer from Athens, Georgia, has pleaded guilty to filing over $3 million in fraudulent tax returns for her clients. Jessica Crawford, 33, admitted to one count of wire fraud and one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of false income tax returns. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self, III on November 22.

Crawford could face up to 30 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. Her sentencing is set for March 19, 2025. Federal sentences do not allow for parole.

Demetrius Hardeman, Special Agent in Charge at the IRS Criminal Investigation Atlanta Field Office stated: "Jessica Crawford was an unscrupulous return preparer who allowed greed to cloud her judgment and neglect her responsibilities to help clients prepare and file a true and correct tax return." He added that taxpayers should carefully choose their tax preparers as they are responsible for the information on their tax returns.

FBI Atlanta's Acting Special Agent in Charge Sean Burke commented: "Jessica Crawford lied and took advantage of funds designed to help those who were truly in need during the pandemic."

Court documents revealed that FBI agents discovered text messages between individuals involved in a multi-state unemployment benefit scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic and Crawford. She filed for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits using fake businesses or false information provided by these individuals. In exchange, she received a portion of the fraudulent proceeds.

An undercover operation conducted by IRS-CI agents at Crawford’s business led to further evidence against her. During this operation, she created a fictitious Schedule C business based on minimal interaction with an undercover agent posing as a client. This resulted in a fraudulent federal income tax refund claim.

The IRS reviewed 1,261 total tax returns filed by Crawford during the 2020 and 2021 tax years. It found that she fraudulently filed returns leading to losses exceeding $3 million due to falsely claimed credits such as Form 7202 credits for sick leave and family leave.

The investigation was carried out by both the FBI and IRS-CI with Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McCullers and Criminal Chief Leah E. McEwen prosecuting the case.