Six charged in $177 million tax refund scheme

A federal indictment unsealed Wednesday in Mobile, Alabama, accuses six people of filing more than 9,000 fraudulent tax returns seeking $177 million in refunds. The Internal Revenue Service issued $81 million of that amount, according to the court document. The case is being investigated by the Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division, the IRS and the FBI.

Jennifer Beverly, 47, is named as the lead defendant. She owned JB Accounting Tax Service on Broad Street and faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. The indictment covers activity from about 2021 through 2024.

Prosecutors allege the defendants improperly claimed COVID-19 credits, fuel tax credits, credit repayments, estimated tax payments and education credits. Four other employees of the service face conspiracy and wire fraud charges: Jadasha Bowman, 28; Solida Lucille Green, 36; Paris Lovett, also known as Paris Johnson, 30; and Shermeka Benjamin, 38.

Kennedy Lawrence Stovall Winston, 42, is also named. He worked at the tax service and formerly played basketball at the University of Alabama after attending Blount High School. Winston faces an unrelated federal fraud charge involving stolen Treasury checks.

Maisha Horton, acting special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division's Atlanta Field Office, called the alleged abuse "staggering" in a statement. She said tax return preparers have a duty to protect sensitive financial information.

Christopher Flowers, special agent in charge of the FBI's Mobile Field Office, said the charges followed work by multiple agencies to identify the scope of the activity. "These allegations involve a serious breach of trust," Flowers said. No court date has been set. If convicted, each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison.