A former Philadelphia tax return preparer was sentenced to 24 months in prison today for aiding in the preparation of a false client tax return, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Abdoulaye Coumbassa owned and operated Abbi Tax Services and Accounting (Abbi Tax). From at least 2012 to 2015, Coumbassa prepared and filed fraudulent tax returns and related forms and schedules on behalf of his clients. By reporting fictitious businesses with false business losses, Coumbassa sought inflated refunds for his clients from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). At times, Coumbassa included the fake business losses without the client’s knowledge. In total, Coumbassa caused a tax loss of $2.1 million to the IRS.

In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick ordered Coumbassa to serve one year of supervised release and to pay approximately $250,000 in restitution to the United States.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney McSwain commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bea Witzleben, and Trial Attorney Sarah Ranney of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.

Additional information about the Tax Division’s enforcement efforts can be found on the division’s website.