Tax Preparer Sentenced for $470K Fraud

0:00It's April 15th, Hartford News Today starts now, AI-powered and ready. A former Connecticut tax preparer just got hit with an 18-month federal prison sentence for cooking up fake tax returns that cost the IRS more than $470,000. Diana Miller Lloyd, 45-years-old now living in Florida, pleaded guilty back in October to two counts of aiding fraud on income taxes. This all went down Tuesday in Hartford Federal Court. She ran a business called Lloyd Forensic and Accounting Services, starting in Windsor in 2017, then bouncing to Branford and Guilford. Before that, she had another outfit doing similar work. From 2016 to 2021, she tried to scam over $1 million in bogus refunds or tax cuts for clients, many pulling in more than $500,000 a year. The Fed say she ignored client info, made up huge deductions for charity, business ads, repairs, travel, meals, you name it.

1:02IRS caught a bunch before payouts, but still took that big hit. She even borrowed a real accountant's credentials to fight audits. This isn't her first rodeo. She got busted in New York back in 2010 for grand larceny over fake returns, too. Judge ordered her to pay back $467,717 in restitution. She's out on a $25,000 bond for now, but has to report to prison on July 13th. Another reminder that tax cheats always get got eventually.