Franklin CPA Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Stealing Clients’ Funds and Tax Fraud

NASHVILLE - A Tennessee man was sentenced yesterday to nine years in prison for stealing money from his clients' bank accounts, preparing false tax returns that fraudulently increased their refunds, and stealing some or all of those refunds, announced Robert E. McGuire, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.

"Jerkins' clients did not know that he was filing tax returns with the IRS that were different than the copy provided to them," said Acting U.S. Attorney McGuire. "Jerkins had an obligation to file accurate income tax returns for his clients, but instead, he betrayed them by not only stealing from his clients, but also the American taxpayers in order to line his own pockets and finance his opulent lifestyle."

Jason Alexander Jerkins of Franklin pleaded guilty on July 30, 2025. According to court documents and statements made in court, Jerkins, owner of Jerkins Business Solutions, provided bookkeeping, payroll, tax-return preparation, and similar accounting and tax services. To pay his clients' expenses, Jerkins had online access to their bank accounts. Between March 2020 and April 2025, Jerkins stole over $4.6 million from 45 clients by wiring money from their bank accounts to accounts he controlled or could access. He hid these fraudulent wires by recording them with innocuous descriptions like "Jerkins Business Sol" or "Jerkins Business Sale" and timing them close to legitimate transfers. When clients became suspicious, Jerkins created false documents to deceive them into believing the stolen funds were used to pay valid expenses, or he repaid those clients by stealing from other clients.

Jerkins also prepared at least 80 false tax returns to fraudulently inflate his clients' tax refunds. He then directed the IRS to deposit some or all of each tax refund into an account Jerkins controlled. Jerkins hid this fraud from his clients by printing them a different return than the one he filed. In pursuit of this tax fraud, Jerkins attempted to steal about $380,010, and successfully stole about $280,970, from his clients and the U.S. Treasury.

Jerkins used the nearly $5 million he stole from his clients and the taxpaying public to pay off personal credit cards, take vacations, lease vehicles, purchase real estate, and buy luxuries for himself and his family.

In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Aleta A. Trauger for the Middle District of Tennessee ordered Jerkins to pay approximately $4.5 million in restitution to his victims and the United States.

Special Agent Ryan Grande of IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Matthew Hicks of the Criminal Division's Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Levine of the U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case.

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