Date: Feb. 6, 2024 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov Today, Acting United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross announced the sentencing of a Sandersville, Georgia woman for aiding and assisting in the filing of false tax returns. On Feb. 2, 2024, a federal judge sentenced April Michelle Nesbitt to 33 months in prison. Federal inmates are not eligible for parole. According to her plea agreement and other court records, from 2015 to 2021, Nesbitt worked at Superior Tax Group in Montgomery, Alabama. There, Nesbitt filed federal income tax returns for clients. In her plea agreement, Nesbitt admitted that, on at least two occasions, she included false information on a client’s return. Doing so caused the taxpayer to receive greater refunds than he or she was entitled to receive. Specifically, Nesbitt included expenses on a client’s 2018 and 2020 tax returns related to a childcare business that did not exist. In addition to the prison sentence, the judge also ordered that Nesbitt pay restitution in the amount of $46,669 to the IRS. “Tax fraud is a major problem costing the American taxpayer millions each year,” said Acting United States Attorney Ross. “I encourage all taxpayers to review their returns and confirm that they recognize the information. If a tax preparer refuses to let you examine your tax return before it is filed, or if you review your tax return and see a business that is not yours or expenses you do not recognize, ask for clarification or seek a second opinion from a different return preparer.” “April Nesbitt used her position as a tax preparer to steal from the American people,” said Demetrius Hardeman, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “Tax preparers contemplating filing fraudulent tax returns should look at her sentencing as an example of what to expect after IRS Criminal Investigation special agents and our law enforcement partners discover their crimes.” For additional guidance about tax preparer fraud, see the IRS fact sheet PDF. IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated this case, which Assistant United States Attorney Megan A. Kirkpatrick prosecuted.
