Justice Department Sues to Shut Down Florida Return Preparer

The Justice Department filed a civil injunction suit to permanently bar Julius T. Price and his tax return preparation business, Price’s Accounting Firm Inc., from preparing federal income tax returns for others.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, alleges that Price prepared thousands of federal income tax returns from 2018 through 2023 that understate his customers’ tax liabilities and overstate the refunds to which they were entitled through a variety of schemes. The complaint describes how Price knowingly made up businesses on returns he prepared to generate bogus losses, included fraudulent claims for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), claimed fictitious deductions and credits for tuition and fees and fabricated itemized deductions for medical expenses, mortgage interest and gifts to charity. According to the complaint, Price’s pattern of fraudulently understating his customers’ tax liabilities and overstating their refunds has resulted in the loss of significant federal tax revenue, estimated to exceed $1.5 million.

Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS also offers guidance on the credentials and qualifications that taxpayers should seek from their return preparer.

In the past decade, the Justice Department’s Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.