Louisiana tax preparer sentenced to federal prison for tax fraud

BOSSIER PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – 39-year-old Sharhonda Law of Haughton, La. was sentenced to 20 months in prison for filing false tax returns by United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr.

According to a press release, Law was a federal income tax return preparer who owned and operated Law’s Tax Service in Shreveport and was the sole tax return preparer for the company.

Law reportedly prepared and filed a client’s 2019 tax return with the IRS, which falsely claimed that the client had farming income and incurred farming expenses, resulting in a net farming loss. The tax refund falsely showed that the client was due a refund when the client owed taxes for that year.

The release added that an investigation into the falsely filed tax return showed that Law’s client did not have a farm, nor did they tell Law they owned or operated one. The client never provided Law with any farming-related income or expenses that she input on the tax return. Law pleaded guilty on November 20, 2024, to one count of aiding and assisting in making and subscribing a false return.

According to the release, Law misrepresented six other tax returns prepared for clients. She also falsified her income on two of her personal tax returns and failed to file tax returns for other years.

Law was sentenced to 20 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for tax fraud. She was also ordered to pay $123,455 in restitution.

IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) says that U.S. taxpayers and return preparers should be on the lookout for fraud schemes that could compromise their bank accounts, personal information, and the U.S. tax system.

Current fraud schemes listed by the IRS-CI include:

• Criminals creating fictitious estates and trusts to generate fraudulent refunds
• New client scams where cyber criminals impersonate new, potential clients to trick tax preparers into responding to their emails. Once the preparer responds, the scammer sends a malicious attachment or URL that can compromise the preparer’s computer systems and allow the attacker to access sensitive client information
• Tax schemes, some on social media, that encourage taxpayers to file fraudulent returns featuring inaccurate income, false withholdings or fake credits. Taxpayers are ultimately responsible for ensuring that information is accurate on their tax returns

The IRS-CI added that U.S. taxpayers should: