Defendant defrauded the Internal Revenue Service of over 1.1 million dollars through residential energy credit scheme Date: Feb. 5, 2024 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Melinda Jacob, the former owner of a tax preparation business, pleaded guilty to a criminal Information charging her with the preparation of false tax returns. The proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge James R. Cho. When sentenced, Jacobs faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison as well as restitution and monetary penalties. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Thomas Fattorusso, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), announced the guilty plea. “With the tax season upon us, today’s guilty plea underscores the message that tax preparers have an obligation to perform their duties honestly, and when they abuse their position by filing false information that defrauds the IRS, the return will be a felony conviction like this and additional penalties,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “While most tax preparers are reputable, it is the bad apples like Melinda Jacob who spoil the bunch. She took advantage of her role and her clients by using their returns to steal money from the government. Jacob’s plea puts her a step closer the consequences of her dishonesty and deceit,” stated IRS-CI Special Agent-in-Charge Fattorusso. Jacob owned and operated Melinda Jacob Tax Services, a tax preparation business located in her home in Brooklyn, New York. Between 2019 and 2022, Jacobs prepared false and fraudulent Forms 5695 for multiple clients. Form 5695 was an IRS form on which a taxpayer reported expenditures or costs associated with clean energy or energy efficient improvements to their home, and claimed one or both of the “Residential Clean Energy Credit” and the “Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit” against their tax liability. A Form 5695, where applicable, is filed as an attachment to a taxpayer’s Form 1040. Jacob inflated her clients’ tax refunds by preparing and submitting to the IRS false tax returns that claimed fictitious expenses relating to solar water heaters and geothermal heat pumps that resulted in the clients receiving fraudulent Residential Energy Credits. In most cases, Jacob made up the energy expenses listed on her clients’ tax returns and did not discuss the Residential Energy Credit with her clients. As a result of these false Forms 5695, the IRS suffered an aggregate tax loss of approximately $1,151,761. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Raffaela S. Belizaire.
