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Louisiana Tax Preparer Sentenced for Filing False Tax Returns

Published February 14, 2022

Louisiana – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Deborah Cooksey, 56, of Minden, Louisiana, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Donald E. Walter to 24 months in prison, followed by 1 year of supervised release, for filing false tax returns. Cooksey was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $547,043.

Deborah Cooksey was indicted in March 2021 and pleaded guilty to one count of filing false tax returns on September 22, 2021. Cooksey owned and operated Cooksey’s Tax and Notary Services, LLC in Minden, Louisiana, which specialized in the preparation and electronic filing of individual income tax returns. She deposited all fees earned from the preparation and filing of her clients’ individual tax returns into a business account called Cooksey’s Tax and Notary Services. During the tax years 2013 and 2014, Cooksey did not report all fees earned from the preparation and filing of clients’ individual tax returns.

Cooksey personally prepared and electronically filed her 2013 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, Form 1040, on April 15, 2015, which was verified by a written declaration made under penalty of perjury with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). On her 2013 Form 1040 tax return, she reported $522,662 in Schedule C income. These gross receipts and income reported on her Schedule C were false, and Cooksey was aware of her true Schedule C gross income for 2013 of $1,356,682. Cooksey owes taxes for 2013 because she understated her gross receipts and income on her Schedule C.

Cooksey agreed to be permanently barred from preparing, assisting, advising, or counseling in the preparation of, or filing of, federal tax returns for anyone other than herself as part of her plea agreement. She is also barred from having any affiliation with a tax preparation business or instructing, teaching, or otherwise training anyone in the preparation of federal tax returns.

The IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mary J. Mudrick and Mike Shannon.