JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — (The video above is from a previous report)
The owner of a Jacksonville tax preparation business has been sentenced for aiding and assisting others with the filing of fraudulent tax returns, according to a press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Paul Berkins Moise was sentenced to 35 months in federal prison and will also have to pay restitution to the United States for a tax loss of $77,929, according to the DOJ.
Court documents indicate Moise was found guilty on April 29, 2021, after a jury trial.
Between February 2013 and March 2017, the Department of Justice says Moise defrauded the IRS by filing returns for his clients in which he grossly inflated deductions for state and local sales taxes and unreimbursed employee expenses and gifts to charity by cash or check.
Trial evidence also showed that Moise grossly underreported his own income on tax returns he filed for himself. Court documents indicate that on his 2013 return, Moise reported $10,160 in income when he had actually earned at least $83,848 that year. On his 2014 return, Moise reported $2,695 in income when he had actually earned $252,652 that year, records indicate.
“He cheated all Americans, since we all pay our fair share for the government services and protections that we enjoy, now he will pay the price in prison," said IRS Criminal Investigation Tampa Field Office Special Agent in Charge Brian Payne.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.
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