Date: May 17, 2022 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, today announced that a federal grand jury in Bridgeport has returned a 22-count indictment charging Keyante Paul, of Florida, with tax fraud offenses. The indictment was returned on June 15, 2022. Paul was arrested yesterday in Florida. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Irick in Orlando and was released on bond. Her arraignment in the District of Connecticut is scheduled for June 30. As alleged in the indictment, Paul, through her business Keys Tax Services, operated as a tax return preparer, and she traveled to Connecticut for part of the year to prepare returns for Connecticut clients. For the 2015 through 2018 tax years, Paul prepared numerous federal tax returns for clients that included false income "adjustments" that reduced taxpayers' reported adjusted gross income, false expenses and losses in connection with sole proprietorship businesses that clients did not operate, and, in at least one instance, false charitable contributions. The indictment charges Paul with 22 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false income tax returns, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of three years on each count. U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This investigation is being conducted by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer R. Laraia and Lauren C. Clark.
