Rocky Mount tax return preparer sentenced to 2 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $3,097,568 in restitution

Date: June 29, 2026

Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov

Raleigh, NC – A federal judge sentenced Jessica Latoya Staten to 2 years in federal prison and one year of supervised release for aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return.  The Court also ordered Staten to pay $3,097,568 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.  

“What a shocking abuse of trust for a tax return preparer to file hundreds of fraudulent federal income tax returns. No longer will we tolerate the petty misery of the destruction of society by vicious selfishness. Let this sentence serve as a warning to others considering the same dirty deeds: We will find you and prosecute you. Cheaters. Never. Win.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. 

“Dishonest tax return preparers use various schemes to defraud the government,” said Special Agent in Charge Donald “Trey” Eakins of the IRS Criminal Investigation's Charlotte Field Office. “Today’s sentencing serves as a warning to anyone considering filing false tax returns. Both IRS Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office remain committed to actively pursuing individuals who try to defraud the U.S. tax system.”

Staten engaged in a scheme to prepare and file hundreds of false and fraudulent federal income tax returns (Forms 1040) for others between approximately 2018 and 2025, resulting in more than $3 million in tax losses. Staten owned and operated “Luckie Ones Tax Professionals,” a tax return preparation based in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.  During the offense period, Staten prepared false tax returns for clients in eastern North Carolina that artificially increased certain credits to which her clients were not entitled to inflate the tax refund amounts, including the Earned Income Tax Credit, the American Opportunity Tax Credit, and the Lifetime Learning Credit. As part of the scheme, Staten also reported false self-employment income and expenses for non-existent businesses that she attributed to her clients.     

W. Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after the Honorable James C. Dever III pronounced the sentence. IRS-CI investigated the case.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 18 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.