北卡罗来纳州报税行老板骗取近2400万美元新冠退税 被判5年监禁
美国司法部北卡罗来纳东区联邦检察官办公室宣布，Wilmington 联邦法院近日判处报税从业者 Nejlai Mitchell 五年联邦监禁。Mitchell 现年48岁，被认定共谋制作虚假报税表、以新冠税收抵免骗取退税，并协助制作更多虚假报税表。法院同时对她下达1,389万零697美元的没收金钱判决。
联邦检察官 W. Ellis Boyle 在首席地区法官 Richard E. Myers II 宣判后公布了这一结果。他表示，这起骗局骗得的近2,400万美元欺诈退税不是疏忽或失误所致，Mitchell 与同伙蓄意窃取本应用来帮助北卡罗来纳州东部困难居民的新冠救助资金，中饱私囊、损害纳税人利益。
Mitchell 在 Lumberton 与 Hope Mills 两地经营报税行。检方指，2022年4月至2023年5月间，她与七名雇员利用国会为扶持困难企业设立的带薪病假与家庭假抵免，提交虚假报税表，谋求近2,400万美元欺诈退税；仅 Mitchell 本人的行为就致使国税局（IRS）实际发出约1,389万美元欺诈退税，占整个共谋渠道金额的一半以上。
Mitchell 已就共谋与制作、提交虚假报税表认罪。该报税行的办公室经理 Whitnee Leach 已于2026年5月就参与同一共谋与提交虚假报税表认罪，其余六名被告亦已就为客户制作、提交虚假报税表认罪。
同案另有五名同伙此前已被判刑：Tiffany Moody 于2026年9月3日被判两年多；Shaneen Ray 与 Eyoubo McBurney 于7月8日各被判18个月，Sylvia Swindell 被判16个月；Katrena Stanback 于7月9日被判六个月。七名同伙均已认罪。
此案由国税局刑事调查局（IRS-CI）调查。相关法庭文件可通过联邦地区法院或 PACER 以案号 7:26-CR-38-M 查阅。
（来源：美国司法部）
North Carolina Tax Preparer Sentenced to 5 Years for Nearly $24 Million COVID Refund Fraud Scheme
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced that a federal judge in Wilmington has sentenced tax return preparer Nejlai Mitchell to five years in federal prison for conspiring to prepare false tax returns that claimed fraudulent refunds based on COVID-19 tax credits, and for assisting in the preparation of additional fake returns. The court also ordered her to pay a forfeiture money judgment of $13,890,697.
U.S. Attorney W. Ellis Boyle made the announcement after Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II handed down the sentence. Boyle said the nearly $24 million in fraudulent refunds generated through the scheme were not the result of mistakes or oversight, and that Mitchell and her co-conspirators deliberately stole COVID money intended to help struggling eastern North Carolinians and used it to enrich themselves at the expense of taxpayers.
Mitchell owned and operated tax return preparation offices in Lumberton and Hope Mills. From April 2022 through May 2023, Mitchell and seven of her employees filed false tax returns seeking fraudulent refunds of almost $24 million by exploiting paid sick and family leave credits, a COVID-19 relief measure enacted by Congress to support struggling businesses. Mitchell's actions alone caused the IRS to issue approximately $13,890,697 in fraudulent tax refunds, more than half of the nearly $24 million channeled through the conspiracy.
Mitchell pleaded guilty to conspiracy and to preparing and filing false tax returns. The business's office manager, Whitnee Leach, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to participating in the same conspiracy and filing false tax returns, and the remaining six defendants pleaded guilty to preparing and filing false tax returns for clients.
Five other co-conspirators have already been sentenced. On September 3, 2026, Tiffany Moody was sentenced to more than two years. On July 8, 2026, Shaneen Ray and Eyoubo McBurney were each sentenced to 18 months and Sylvia Swindell to 16 months. On July 9, 2026, Katrena Stanback was sentenced to six months. Seven co-conspirators in total have pleaded guilty.
IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) is investigating the case. Related court documents can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:26-CR-38-M.
(Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
来源：美国司法部
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图：美国国税局总部大楼（华盛顿）。国税局刑事调查局为本案调查机构。Carol M. Highsmith 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Internal Revenue Service headquarters in Washington. IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this case. By Carol M. Highsmith, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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