CLEVELAND – Authorities have arrested a 46-year-old woman for her alleged role in preparing and filing false federal income tax returns for clients.
Sherita Booker, of Cleveland, was charged in a criminal complaint on April 9 with aiding or assisting in the preparation of false and fraudulent federal income tax returns.
According to court documents, she learned how to prepare tax returns while working at a national tax preparation company between June 2016 and April 2017. After that, she launched her own tax preparation business, operating under multiple entity names as well as her own.
Investigators found that when Booker prepared returns for clients, she allegedly added fraudulent Schedule C forms—used to report business profits and losses—to clients’ Form 1040, even though those clients did not own businesses. Authorities say she also used additional schemes to reduce or avoid taxes owed to the IRS on behalf of her clients.
If convicted, Booker faces up to three years in prison on each count. A federal district court judge will determine her sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Internal Revenue Services-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) conducted the investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys Brenna L. Fasko and Elliot Morrison for the Northern District of Ohio are leading the prosecution.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
About IRS-CI
IRS Criminal Investigation is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. IRS-CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a 90% federal conviction rate. The agency has 19 field offices located across the U.S. and 14 attaché posts abroad.
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