SC Man Sent to Prison for Preparing and Filing False Tax Returns for the Bloods
A Columbia, SC man was sentenced on Tuesday, April 16th, in federal court for preparing and filing false tax returns for the South Carolina branch of the Bloods gang.
Daion Ali Bowers, 27, received $1.2 million in fraudulent tax returns, which he filed from a home computer and distributed to the gang through pre-paid credit cards, or split the money with those who provided personal information.
Bowers is not a member of the Bloods, nor is he an accountant. However, he worked closely with Tashanda “Big Mama Blood” Parker, who is a member of the Bloodettes, a female affiliate gang. Together, they recruited people to give their personal information to Bowers so he could file false tax returns. Members of the Gangsta Killer Bloods were among those who provided information.
In 2011, Bowers filed over 600 false tax returns, claiming $2.5 million in refunds. About $1.2 million of the refunds were paid out, so Bowers made a lot of money from the false tax returns scheme.
Bowers has been sentenced by a federal jury to more than 5 years in prison, and must repay $1.2 million in restitution funds. According to US Attorney JD Rowell, Bowers pled guilty in January to charges of wire fraud conspiracy.
Parker has also pled guilty to charges of wire fraud conspiracy, as well as racketeering. She awaits sentencing, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
False Tax Returns Are White Collar Crime
According to the IRS website, common forms of tax abuse include filing false tax returns, “home” tax businesses, trust, and off-shore schemes. Sometimes, businesses or individuals will use tax exempt organizations, such as nonprofit organizations, as fronts for tax evasion.
While false tax returns, tax evasion, and tax fraud are serious federal charges, receiving those charges does not automatically mean that you are guilty or that you have no rights. The Strom Law Firm has extensive experience with federal regulations tied to all forms of white collar crime, including charges for filing false tax returns. Strom Law Firm’s extensive white-collar criminal practice involves the representation of defendants and witnesses in federal and state investigations, trials and appeals. White-collar clients include politicians, business professionals, and top executives. Pete Strom, founder of the Strom Law Firm, has had extensive experience in major criminal cases and investigations involving issues of securities fraud, derivatives trading, antitrust and price-fixing, mail and wire fraud, RICO, tax fraud, customer fraud, and other business violations.
The Strom Law Firm Can Help With Charges for False Tax Returns
If you have received white collar criminal charges, you could lose your job, and your reputation. White collar criminal charges, including tax evasion or false tax returns, are serious crimes with serious consequences. The criminal defense attorneys at Strom Law Firm, L.L.C. include a former United States Attorney, a former public defender, a former Assistant Attorney General and Richland County Assistant Solicitor, as well as a tax lawyer familiar with IRS criminal investigations. The Strom Law Firm aggressively defends individuals on all criminal charges in all State and Federal Courts in South Carolina as well as the Federal Courts in Georgia. We offer free, confidential consultations to discuss the facts of your case, so do not hesitate to contact us. 803.252.4800.
