Date: April 13, 2022 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov In an indictment unsealed today, a federal grand jury in Chicago charged an Illinois woman with conspiring to defraud the United States and helping clients file false tax returns with the IRS. According to the indictment, Stephanie Fagairo, of Frankfort, owned Double Vision Tax Service, a return preparation business. From 2014 through 2017, Fagairo and one of her employees allegedly conspired to file false tax returns for a number of Double Vision clients. They allegedly did so by including on client tax returns false Schedules C, which reported to the IRS fabricated business income and loss amounts in order to generate inflated refunds the clients were not entitled to receive. Fagairo also allegedly instructed other individuals on how to prepare false tax returns for clients. Fagairo's initial court appearance has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, Fagairo faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for the conspiracy count and three years in prison for each of 11 counts of helping her clients file a false tax return. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch, Jr. for the Northern District of Illinois made the announcement. IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Assistant Chief Andrew Kameros and Trial Attorney Eric Taffet of the Justice Department's Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
