Rankin-Madison District Attorney Michael Guest issued the following press release:
Rankin County Tax Preparer Receives 20 Years for Stealing Tax Return Funds
In June of 2015, the Mississippi
Department of Revenue began an investigation into Mobile Express Tax and
Accounting Service after noticing numerous irregularities on income tax returns
they prepared. Investigators with the
Department of Revenue spoke with Ms. Jones, the owner of Mobile Express Tax and
Accounting Service, and the individual who signed as the tax preparer on
client’s returns. Jones was unable to
explain the questionable returns and was unable to provide any documentation
that she relied on in preparing the returns.
The only explanation she was able to offer was that she suffered a
computer problem that may have incorrectly populated certain fields on the returns.
Investigators with the Department of
Revenue then spoke with numerous taxpayers and found that they were unaware of
the fraudulent returns submitted on their behalf. Investigators were able to determine that
Jones would prepare a written return with the proper information and would
present the correct return to the taxpayer for their signature and
records. Jones would then submit a
fraudulent return electronically to the Mississippi Department of Revenue and
the U.S. Department of Treasury where she would increase the amount of the
refund owed to the taxpayer. Jones would
then direct the state and federal government to deposit the additional funds
into her business account.
-more-
Investigators
conducted a forensic accounting of Jones’ business and personal accounts. The accounting revealed that for 2013 and
2014 Jones had illegally collected overstated refunds in excess of
$300,000. The accounting also revealed
that she used the funds for personal expenses and failed to claim the amount on
her personal income tax returns.
Guest stated, “I am proud to have
worked with the Department of Revenue in the prosecution of Ms. Jones. This case required a tremendous amount of
time to investigate and to obtain the necessary financial information needed to
secure a conviction. Their hard work,
along with the assistance we received from the Mississippi College School of
Law, has allowed us to place a fraudulent tax preparer behind bars.”
Guest concluded, “Ms. Jones not only
stole hundreds of thousands of dollars, but she has forced many hard working
taxpayers to prove to the IRS that they never received the fraudulently
obtained funds. While many people will
claim that this is only a case of theft against the government we must not
forget that there are numerous honest people whose lives have been affected by
the criminal actions of Ms. Jones.”
District Attorney Michael Guest was
sworn into office in January 2008 and represents the Twentieth Judicial
District, Madison and Rankin Counties. For more information regarding the District
Attorney’s office, follow us on Facebook, download our app or please visit www.daguest.com.
Defendant:
Name: Kushauntia LaShone Jones
Address: 2007 Mossy Cove, Brandon
Date of Birth: September 30, 1975
15 comments:
Maybe she can get a job on Bennie's staff. She qualifies now.
Any negative comment about this indivijul only show you are racialist.
Non-violent offense. She won't do 20 years. Only 25% of it.
I can't help but to wonder just what her parents were thinking when they named her.
Great job DOR!! Keep up the good work and please continue to go after these criminals. It seems to me that Michael Guest is the only DA in the state prosecuting these DOR cases...KF is there anything to this or is it just perception?
What did she think was going to happen eventually? Didn't think this one through very well...
Same thing is going to happen to a lot of government appointees coming on board in 2017.
Most criminals do not stop and think what the results of their criminal behavior might bring in the future. Just as most school drop outs do not think what the result of not finishing school might do to their future.
It would be interesting to know what she changed on the returns to increase the refunds.
Whom shall I choose to prepare my taxes? Shall I choose William Charles Meriwether, CPA? Or shall I choose Kushauntia LaShone Jones, owner of Mobile Express Tax Service and African Hair Braiding?
Well, I'm no racist! I voted for Obama and read the JFP and live in Fondren, for heaven's sake!
So happy that I rebuked white privilege and made the progressive choice.
Any pending federal charges?
I don't think this guy lost his job. Please correct me if I am wrong.
i'm not going to file a tax return this year so i can apply as a high ranking member of bennie's staff.
Speaking of finishing school and the consequences for not doing so...News yesterday has it that Phil Bryant is rolling out a program to encourage everybody to enroll back in college and finish their degree.
He said 'A skilled workforce is essential and I encourage people to get back in college and finish their degree'. I'm wondering what 'skill' he has in mind that's acquired in college.
College is a racket, and he knows that. The problem NOW is that there are too damned people in college and graduating with meaningless, unmarketable diploomers.
7:49, all of the blame for meaningless, unmarketable diploomers should not be put on the college. There has always been useless classes in college. Usually a person would take some to improve their grade point average. Lately some students, actually many students, have decided these classes were of enough importance that future employers would jump at the chance to hire them. They are finding out they were mistaken but that is after wasting all that time getting a degree that is useless.
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