UNION CITY, Ga. — A truck driver who authorities said operated a “ghost” tax preparation business will spend years in prison for fraudulently seeking over $4 million in COVID-19 employment tax credits.
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Dantavious Jackson, 39, of Union City, was sentenced to seven years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Georgia.
Jackson was also ordered to pay over $1.5 million in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. He operated a ghost tax preparation business, submitting tax returns without using a preparer identification number as required by federal law, authorities said.
The scheme involved filing 35 fraudulent IRS Forms 941, falsely asserting entitlement to employee retention credits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act enacted on March 27, 2020.
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Court documents revealed Jackson fabricating wages and employees, which led to the U.S. Treasury disbursing $1,567,855 in fraudulent tax refunds to him and his clients.
Margaret E. Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, commented, “Tax preparers have a responsibility to accurately prepare tax returns on behalf of their clients. Jackson not only undermined the American tax system and the trust of taxpayers relying on his expertise, but he also took advantage of pandemic relief funds that were intended to help individuals harmed by the pandemic. The sentence imposed by the Court reflects the serious nature of Jackson’s conduct.”
Jackson’s case is part of a larger pattern of investigations by IRS Criminal Investigation, which initiated 588 inquiries involving over $5.6 billion in potentially fraudulent employment retention credits during fiscal year 2025.
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