Two Philadelphia, Pa., tax preparers have been accused of buying and selling personal identifying information of children to claim as dependents on tax returns. Nvahbulai Quisiah and Gofin Kosia, both 43 years old, each face six counts of aggravated identity theft. They have also each been charged on 17 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation and filing of a false tax return and six counts of wire fraud.
Qusiah owns First Premier Tax Service and employs Kosia as a tax preparer. A federal indictment alleges that for tax years 2009 through 2016 the two boosted client returns by inflating deductions, claiming fictitious Schedule C businesses and adding phony dependents. One such return was prepared for a undercover IRS agent.
The identity theft charges carry a mandatory minimum of two years in prison for each count. The wire fraud charges each have a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison while the top sentence for aiding and assisting is three years for each count.