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Preparer Sentenced to 70 Months

Nothing But TaxesA tax preparer based in Durham, N.C., has been given a 70-month term in a federal prison for falsifying tax returns and stealing identities. Leslie Louise Brewster drew the term after pleading guilty to three felonies. She was also order to pay $92,910 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.

Brewster pled guilty to one count of aiding and assisting the preparation of a false tax return; one count of wire fraud; and one count of aggravated identity theft. Two other Nothing But Taxes preparers were previously sentenced to prison while two others are awaiting sentencing.

The manager of the Burlington, N.C., branch of the Nothing But Taxes franchise, Brewster invented dependents and businesses and claimed bogus education credits. She bought ID information such as Social Security numbers, some of which she used herself  while providing others to preparers at the office.

Brewster also charged clients a cash fee, above Nothing But Taxes' usual flat fee for tax preparation, for preparing the bogus returns.

Two other preparers had already been sentence in this case. Saichelle McNeill, a preparer at the chains' Greensboro branch drew 27 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and aiding and assisting the preparation of a false tax return. Tiffany Rogers, a return preparer at the Burlington branch received sentenced 48-month term, pleading guilty to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, willfully filing a false personal income tax return and aiding and assisting the preparation of a false tax return.

Two other Nothing But Taxes employees, Nikki Brewster and Dawn Williams, are currently awaiting sentencing. Each pleaded guilty to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and aiding and assisting the preparation of false tax returns. Brewster was a manager at the chain's Durham branch and Williams a preparer at the Burlington Branch.

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