‘We will find you’: DOJ targets COVID relief tax fraud in criminal probe; defendant gets 5 years

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is targeting COVID-19 tax fraud as federal prosecutors crack down on schemes involving fraudulent tax credits and false IRS refund claims. A North Carolina tax preparer was sentenced to 60 months in prison for a scheme involving nearly $23.9 million in fraudulent COVID-related tax refund claims, with the IRS paying out approximately $13.89 million. Watch the latest on the DOJ’s COVID relief fraud investigation, fraudulent tax credit claims, IRS refund fraud, criminal charges and the federal government’s efforts to hold tax cheats accountable.