Owners of two metro Atlanta tax preparation companies were indicted last month for fraud and arranging and receiving nearly $15 million in bogus income tax returns, according to a federal indictment.
But despite a court order to stop preparing taxes professionally, the website for Sonnier Tax Service, owned by Kevin Sonnier, still allows would-be customers in college to file an application for service.
A federal grand jury accused Sonnier and Bernardo Davis of conspiracy, wire fraud and identity theft for allegedly using the identification information of roughly 15,000 people to file for refunds using the Earned Income Tax Credits and the American Opportunity Tax Credit that students are eligible to claim from paying their tuition.
Along with Carla Jefferson, who owns two tax preparation businesses in Palmdale, Calif., Davis and Sonnier were accused of leading people to believe they were signing up for some form of “stimulus payments” and using their personal information to file taxes and claim refunds.
According to the indictment, the refunds were directed to each of the suspects’ bank accounts, and Jefferson and Davis even sent checks to Sonnier’s businesses.
Sonnier and Davis were arrested on Feb. 21 and released within a week on $50,000 bond each.
Both have been ordered to refrain from filing any income taxes besides their own as a condition of their release.
Davis and Sonnier will appear Wednesday in federal court in Atlanta.
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