Alabama tax preparer admits he filed falsified tax returns for clients and himself

Published 5:43 pm Thursday, October 28, 2021

An Alabama tax preparer has pleaded guilty to filing false returns on behalf of his clients and himself.

Jamichael D. Whiteside, 37, of Gadsden, entered the guilty plea Thursday in federal court, according to Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona and IRS Criminal Investigations Atlanta Field Office Special Agent in Charge James Dorsey.

He pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge R. David Proctor to one count of aiding or assisting in the preparation of a false tax return and one count of making and subscribing a false tax return, al.com reported.

Whiteside’s false returns resulted in a tax loss of more than $140,000, Escalona’s office said.

According to the plea agreement, between 2016 and 2019, Whiteside prepared materially false tax returns for several clients at ZJ Tax Service in Gadsden. To generate larger income tax returns for his clients, Whiteside falsified dependent care expenses, education expenses, charitable deductions, and included fabricated losses for businesses that did not exist.

Whiteside also willfully underreported his own income in tax years 2016 and 2017.

A sentencing date has not been announced.