Lilburn Man Charged With Filing $165 Million In Fake Tax Returns, Collecting Millions In Undeserved Refunds

MACON, Ga. – A Lilburn, Georgia resident currently in custody was charged in a 20-count indictment for allegedly filing false tax returns totaling $165,212,271, collecting at least $2,897,192.74 in undeserved tax refunds, announced Charlie Peeler, the U.S. Attorney of the Middle District of Georgia.

Marquet Antwain Burgess Mattox, AKA Marquet Antwain Burgess Mattox El, AKA Marquet Burgess Mattox, AKA Asim Ashunta El, AKA Asim El Bey, 48, of Lilburn, Georgia was charged by a federal grand jury on September 17 with nine counts of wire fraud, ten counts of false claims against the U.S. Government and one count of theft of government funds. The indictment was unsealed on October 16. Following a hearing on Friday, October 23, U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles H. Weigle ordered Mattox remain in custody. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

According to the indictment, Mattox is accused of filing fraudulent Form 1041 U.S. Income Tax Returns with the IRS for tax years 2015 through 2017 for at least twelve different trusts. The IRS relied upon information from submitted Forms 1041 in determining and issuing refunds. The indictment alleges that Mattox knew at the time he submitted the tax forms that none of the trusts had any business activities, that the trusts had not earned the income as claimed and that the withholding payments had in fact not been made to the IRS as claimed. Mattox is accused of falsely claiming tax refunds for these purported trusts in the amount of approximately $165,212,271. The IRS issued approximately $2,897,192.74 in federal income tax refunds from one of the alleged fraudulent trusts which the defendant was not entitled to receive.

IRS-CI’s Atlanta Division and Office of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lyndie M. Freeman of the Middle District of Georgia’s Complex Frauds Unit is prosecuting the case for the Government. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362. The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.