Tax Return Preparer Sentenced to Prison for Claiming Slave Reparations on Fraudulent Returns

Posted on October 19, 2017

Tax return preparer Damyon Shuler of Florida pled guilty in April to filing a fraudulent tax return on his own behalf for 2009 by claiming a refund in excess of $46,000 and for filing a fraudulent return on behalf of another taxpayer.

Shuler prepared tax returns for friends and relatives telling them he could claim slave reparations on their tax returns. He prepared 30 tax returns on behalf of others claiming fake refunds of between $48,000 and $61,000 and charged a fee of between $4,000 to 5,000 to each customer.

The tax returns also reported fake capital gains and fake taxes paid. Attached to each return was an “Overpayment of Black Invest Taxes.” He also did not list himself as the tax return preparer. The tax loss to the government is in excess of $1.2 million.

Schuler was sentenced to 18 months in prison, one year of supervised release and was ordered to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $1.18 million.

Has your tax return preparer filed a tax return that you know is not honest or accurate? If the IRS has not yet contacted you, call us, we can help.