The fallout continues to grow following our investigation into a metro Atlanta tax preparer with a history of fraud.

“The person she turned out to be was just pure evil,” a victim said.

Dozens of firefighters, paramedics and police now say Ruth Barr, an elected official in Hapeville, targeted them as clients.

Why thousands of victims could have to pay back millions of dollars in bogus refunds. Read the story on myAJC.com and in this Sunday’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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Ernie Suggs, a reporter at the AJC since 1997, reviews a selection of articles he has contributed to during his time with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as of Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

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University of Georgia students are seen entering and leaving the main Library on the Athens campus on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez