FLORIDA—The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced that a federal court has permanently shut down a tax preparer in Miami.
According to the DOJ, on December 1, a federal court in the Southern District of Florida permanently enjoined a Miami tax return preparer and his businesses from preparing federal income tax returns, training others how to prepare tax returns, or operating any tax return preparation business in the future.
The court also ordered Javier Campos and the tax preparation businesses he operates to pay $500,000 in ill-gotten gains to the United States. Campos consented to the permanent injunction and disgorgement order. Five employees of the tax preparer’s businesses consented to an injunction from preparing tax returns for two years.
The civil complaint alleges that Campos owns or controls JBC Tax Services LLC, WK Tax Services Inc., Cutler Bay Tax Services Inc., N.L.T.S. Inc. (doing business as Naranja Lakes Tax Services Inc.), and Tax Services Group Corp.
According to the complaint, Campos and the other defendants prepared returns for customers that claimed various false or fabricated deductions and credits, including fabricated residential energy credits, fictitious deductions and credits for education expenses, false COVID-19 sick and family leave credits, bogus deductions for personal property rentals, attorney’s fees for unlawful discrimination claims, and reforestation amortization and expenses.
The complaint also alleges that Campos acted as a “ghost” preparer, meaning that he did not sign the returns he prepared as required by law and trained outside clients and tax preparers how to fraudulently inflate customers’ tax refunds through Tax Services Group.
According to the DOJ, the permanent injunction against Campos and his businesses—to which Campos, JBC Tax Services, WK Tax Services, Cutler Bay Tax Services, Naranja Lakes Tax Services, and Tax Services Group consented—forever bars them from any involvement in the preparation of federal tax returns.
The DOJ said they were ordered immediately closed and to cease all operations at any office location, including the Miami offices located at 19485-B S. Dixie Highway and 13630 SW 120th St., Suite 228, and the Homestead office located at 27393 S. Dixie Highway.
The injunction against the five employee defendants—David DePablo, Krystallee Gonzalez, Alvaro Jauregui, Katya Rojas, and Patricia Vanegas—bars them from any involvement in the preparation of federal tax returns for two years. The injunction also requires that they successfully complete the IRS’s Annual Filing Season Program training course and provide proof of completion before they may prepare returns for others.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
Attorneys from the Justice Department’s Tax Division prosecuted the case.
