Jacksonville tax preparer sentenced to prison for preparing over $1.8 million in fraudulent tax returns

Date: Feb. 18, 2026

Contact: [email protected]

Jacksonville, FL - Survalarie Harris has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger to 18 months in federal prison for aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return. The court also entered an order of restitution in the amount of $1,824,279, the amount of tax loss to the United States. Harris entered a guilty plea in August 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Harris worked as a tax return preparer at her business Tax Genie Tax Service in Jacksonville. In preparing tax returns for others, Harris knowingly reported false information, including false claims of having a business, to decrease the amount of money taxpayers would owe to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and to increase the amount of money taxpayers would receive as tax refunds from the IRS. Agents with IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) determined that Harris falsified tax returns in a similar manner multiple times, specifically by creating fictitious business expenses. Despite a lack of documentation from taxpayers, Harris included these fictitious expenses on the tax returns, indicating a net loss for a non-existent business. This lowered the taxpayers' adjusted gross income, allowing the taxpayer to apply for an Earned Income Credit, a refundable tax credit based primarily on income and filing status.

On March 22, 2022, Harris prepared a 2021 tax return for an undercover IRS-CI agent who posed as a customer. During their conversation, Harris told the undercover agent that the agent was going to owe money on her tax return. Harris asked the undercover agent if she did any work on the side, to which the undercover agent stated she sometimes braided hair. Harris told the undercover agent that she could help the undercover agent receive a refund for an additional fee. Moments later, Harris told the undercover agent that she was receiving a refund of $2,950, minus the additional fee. Harris, however, did not ask for it, and the undercover agent did not provide any documentation or information associated with business losses or income. Despite the lack of documentation, Harris prepared the undercover agent's tax return, which indicated a net loss for a non-existent business. Harris understood that the non-existent business net loss would lower the undercover agent's adjusted gross income so that the undercover agent would qualify for an Earned Income Credit.

Throughout IRS-CI's investigation, agents learned that Harris had been preparing falsified tax returns on behalf of taxpayers since at least 2018. Agents estimated that Harris prepared more than 900 falsified tax returns between the 2020 and 2022 tax years. The tax loss to the United States from Harris's fraudulent conduct was at least $1,824,279.

"Deliberately submitting false, fraudulent, or misleading information to the IRS is a crime," said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. "We will work with the IRS to vigorously investigate and prosecute those who deliberately seek to defraud our tax system."

"Most tax preparers play by the rules-but those who don't will be held accountable," said Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Florida Field Office. "Creating bogus businesses to steal refunds isn't a shortcut-it's a felony. IRS Special Agents will relentlessly pursue fraudsters and make sure justice is served."

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisibeth Adams.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 18 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.