A Columbus tax preparer charged with preparing fraudulent tax returns for his clients and causing $1.2 million in losses to the federal government pleaded guilty to the charges Monday during an arraignment hearing in U.S. District Court.
Ali Kasimu Alston, 48, is the owner of Overtime Ventures LLC , a Columbus tax preparation business that conducted business as Raining Cash Tax Service. Prosecutors said that from 2015 to at least 2022, Alston systematically falsified clients’ federal tax returns to maximize refunds from the IRS and filed Schedule C tax forms with fake businesses to maximize tax credits.
For example, one fraudulent tax return for calendar year 2021 reported fake losses for a fictitious home health care company. Prosecutors said the fake business losses reduced his client’s taxable income, decreasing the tax due and increasing the client’s claimed tax refund…