Date: Feb. 29, 2024 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov A tax preparer was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for preparing false tax returns in the names of taxpayers. Kwasi Kwarteng, of Worcester, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Margaret R. Guzman to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. Kwarteng was also ordered to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service in the amount of $346,186 and a special assessment of $1,300. In addition, Kwarteng was placed under a permanent injunction barring him for life from preparing or assisting in the filing of federal tax returns for any other person or entity. In April 2023, Kwarteng pleaded guilty to 13 counts of aiding and assisting in the filing of false federal tax returns. From at least 2014 through 2018, Kwarteng operated under the name KK Tax Service –despite not being registered with the IRS as required by law – filing more than 1,195 tax returns in the names of clients, charging approximately $150 per return. Kwarteng added false information to hundreds of the returns to claim deductions for fictitious medical expenses, personal property taxes, gifts to charity, Individual Retirement Account (IRA) contributions and unreimbursed employee business expenses. The false returns resulted in some clients paying lower taxes than they owed and, in most cases, resulted in clients receiving tax refunds to which they were not entitled. Kwarteng caused more than half a million dollars in losses to the IRS. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Harry Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Victor A. Wild of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
