Orlando tax preparer gets prison time for filing 2,000 fake tax returns
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PENSACOLA, Fla. - A tax preparer from Orlando has been sentenced to federal prison for filing nearly 2,000 false tax returns with the IRS, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida.
Wesner Jean-Pierre, 33, the owner of Pensacola-based WJP Financial Services LLC, prepared and filed 1,949 false tax returns between 2015 and 2019. He falsely represented taxpayers' income, deductions, credits and refund amount "to steal funds for his gain," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
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"Clients place special trust in their tax preparers, who have a duty to prepare their clients’ returns accurately and in compliance with the law," said Special Agent in Charge of IRS CI’s Tampa Field Office, Ronald A. Loecker. "Mr. Jean-Pierre is now paying the price for violating that trust for his own personal gain. This sentencing should serve as a warning to those tax preparers who choose to line their own pockets rather than do what’s best for their clients."
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Jean-Pierre was sentenced to 26 months after a previous guilty plea to charges of preparing false tax returns. Additionally, he'll get a year of supervised release and was ordered to pay over $830,000 in restitution to the IRS.