A Jefferson City tax preparer has been convicted by a federal jury of filing false federal income tax returns for himself and others.
Josiah Mator Jr., 40, was found guilty Thursday of two counts of filing false federal income tax returns. Officials with the U.S. Attorney's Office said the jury deliberated for approximately 30 minutes before returning guilty verdicts on both counts, ending a trial that began Tuesday.
According to authorities, Mator, a citizen of the United States who moved to this country from Liberia in 2001, prepared and electronically filed tax returns for individuals in the Liberian community and other friends and acquaintances for tax years 2010-15. Mator did not have a registered tax-preparation business, but used Express 1040 software to prepare his clients' tax returns from his home.
Mator was found guilty of filing a false federal income tax return for his own 2015 income. Mator claimed his adjusted gross income in 2015 was $16,552, and his taxable income was $0, knowing he did not include the business income from his tax-preparation service.
Mator also was found guilty of filing a false federal income tax return for individuals identified as "I.A." and L.A." The fraudulent return reported $16,000 in unreimbursed employee business expenses in 2015, although Mator knew I.A. and L.A. did not have any expenses related to their employment. As a result, I.A. and L.A. received a refund they were not legally eligible to receive.
Under federal statutes, Mator is subject to a sentence of up to six years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.