KC Reporter

A Kansas City tax preparer, Linzell Harris, 67, has pleaded guilty in federal court to aiding the preparation of false tax returns. Harris, who owned and operated The MJM Group, Inc., admitted to fabricating deductions and credits for clients to obtain large refunds. According to the report, the total tax loss to the IRS as a result of Harris's actions was $124,308 for tax years 2015 through 2019.

Harris prepared false income tax returns for at least 12 taxpayer clients, totaling 43 fraudulent returns over the mentioned years. He also failed to file personal tax returns for 2015 and 2016, causing an additional tax loss of $60,753. The overall tax loss attributed to Harris's false tax returns and failure to file personal taxes amounts to $185,061.

As a consequence of his guilty plea, Harris faces a possible sentence of up to three years in federal prison without parole. The sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on advisory guidelines and other statutory factors after a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Cooper is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.