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June 23, 2022

Virginia Woman Sentenced for Defrauding Taxpayers

On April 25, 2022, in the Western District of Virginia, Lisa Dillard was sentenced for wire fraud. Dillard devised a scheme to defraud at least eight small businesses and their owners, many of whom speak limited English, while pretending to be a registered tax and accounting services professional. Dillard has neither a Preparer Tax Identification Number, an Electronic Filing Identification Number, nor is she registered as an enrolled agent with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

According to court documents, beginning in or before February 2016 and continuing until July 2018, Dillard operated a tax and accounting services business. In exchange for a monthly fee, she claimed to provide accounting and Federal tax services. As part of the scheme, Dillard told victims they owed a tax liability and falsely represented she established an installment agreement with the IRS. Dillard instructed victims to pay their installment payments directly to her and she would pay the IRS on their behalf. Victims typically made checks payable to Dillard; in turn she would deposit the money into her personal bank account.

Dillard did not file the victims’ taxes or make any payments to the IRS on their behalf. Using an IRS symbol, she created and provided victims fraudulent documents purporting to show the existence of an installment agreement and their payment.

Dillard received 24 months’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $190,294 in restitution.

Source:  The facts in this case narrative come from the following publicly available documents: W.D. Va., Crim. Mins. Sentencing Hr’g, filed April 25, 2022; W.D. Va., Plea Agr., filed May 21, 2021; W.D. Va., Information, filed May 21, 2021; and W.D. Va., Stat. of Fact, filed May 21, 2021.