Milwaukee tax preparer pleads guilty in federal case tied to $1.83 million IRS losses

Guilty plea in Milwaukee adds to recent federal cases targeting fraudulent return preparation

A Milwaukee tax preparer has pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge tied to falsified tax returns that prosecutors say led to more than $1.8 million in fraudulent refunds paid by the Internal Revenue Service.

Jasmeika Simon, 33, of Milwaukee admitted guilt to one count of aiding in the preparation of false tax returns, a felony offense under federal tax law. The case is being handled in U.S. District Court in Milwaukee, and sentencing is scheduled for June 8, 2026, before Judge Brett H. Ludwig.

Allegations focus on hundreds of electronically filed returns

Federal prosecutors said Simon prepared and electronically filed approximately 361 federal individual income tax returns for clients for the 2021, 2022 and 2023 tax years. Investigators identified fraud indicators and supporting evidence on about 331 of those returns, according to the plea agreement described in court filings.

Authorities said the allegedly false entries were used to increase refunds beyond what taxpayers were entitled to receive. Prosecutors said the conduct generated an intended loss to the IRS of about $3.34 million and an actual tax loss—based on fraudulent refunds paid—of $1,832,477.

• Return entries described as materially false included business income and losses, household employee wages, and ordinary dividends.
• Refundable credits and payments cited in the case included sick and family leave credits, child and dependent care credits, fuel tax credits, Section 1341 credits, and alleged false withholding claims.
• Prosecutors said the increased refunds also increased the preparer’s commissions, and that the scheme generated about $234,508 in fees and commissions not lawfully earned.

Potential penalties and what happens next

The charge carries a statutory maximum penalty of up to three years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The sentence will be determined by the court, which typically considers federal sentencing guidelines, the defendant’s criminal history, and the specific facts established in the case record.

The case centers on whether return preparer conduct systematically introduced false income, deductions, and credits to generate inflated refunds.

A broader enforcement pattern in Milwaukee-area tax preparation

The guilty plea follows another recently announced Milwaukee federal case involving false return preparation. In that separate matter, prosecutors said a tax preparer admitted to filing more than 400 returns from 2020 through 2022 using false items to inflate refunds, with losses estimated at over $1.1 million. Sentencing in that case is scheduled for May 5, 2026.

In Simon’s case, the investigation was conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation, and the prosecution is being led by federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Wisconsin.