WACO, TX — A Waco tax return preparer was sentenced to 27 months in prison for her role in a conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Janell Lightner was also sentenced to three years of supervised released and ordered to pay restitution to the United States in the amount of $1,337,800.88.
According to the indictment, Janell Lightner helped Stacey Anderson in the preparation and filing of false tax returns.
Anderson operated a tax return business, Anderson Professional Tax Services, in Waco. Lightner and Anderson conspired to defraud the U.S. by preparing false 2013 and 2014 individual income tax returns. They claimed false business items and/ or educational tax credits in order to increase their clients' tax refunds from the IRS.
From 2013 through 2014, Lightner assisted Anderson in preparing fraudulent returns that inflated deductions and claimed false education credits in order to increase client refunds. Lightner’s conduct caused a tax loss of more than $1.3 million to the Internal Revenue Service.
Anderson was sentenced in August.
