A Mississippi woman was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for knowingly making a materially false statement on a tax return, announced U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge James Dorsey of IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office.

Gena Michelle Hall, 37, of Biloxi, was sentenced on Feb. 9, 2023, in U.S. District Court in Gulfport.

In addition to her prison sentence, Hall was ordered to pay $231,636.67 in restitution to the United States.

According to documents and information provided to the court, Hall worked at a tax return preparation business in the Gulfport area, known as Tax Pros.  Between 2015 and 2019, Hall prepared federal income tax returns for clients that contained one or more materially false entries.  Hall knew that these tax returns were false at the time she prepared them.  The materially false entries caused the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to issue inflated income tax refunds to her clients.  Hall also knowingly filed false income tax returns for herself as a taxpayer. In 2017, she received about $49,000 in tax preparation fees by cashier’s checks and transfers from Tax Pros’ bank account, yet she reported none of those fees as income.

“Today’s sentencing of Gena Michelle Hall emphasizes that IRS Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s office will continue pursuing and prosecuting tax preparers who knowingly and willfully assist others in defrauding the U.S. Government by submitting fraudulent tax returns,” said James E. Dorsey, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “Tax professionals are in positions of trust and expected to follow the laws when preparing their own and clients tax returns.”

The case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris.