SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Deborah Cooksey, 56, of Minden, Louisiana, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter to 24 months in prison, followed by one year of probation, for filing false tax returns. Cooksey was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $547,043.

Deborah Cooksey was indicted in March 2021 and on September 22, 2021, pleaded guilty to one count of filing false tax returns. Cooksey owned and operated Cooksey’s Tax and Notary Services, LLC, in Minden, Louisiana, whose primary business was the preparation and electronic filing of personal income tax returns. She received all fees for preparing and filing client tax returns in a business account under the name of Cooksey’s Tax and Notary Services. Cooksey did not report all fees earned from preparing and filing clients’ personal income tax returns during the 2013 and 2014 tax years. On April 15, 2015, Cooksey personally prepared and electronically filed his 2013 United States Personal Income Tax Return, Form 1040, which was verified by a written statement that it was made under penalty of perjury to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). She reported Schedule C income of $522,662 on her 2013 Form 1040 tax return. These receipts and gross income reported on her Schedule C were false and true, and in fact, Cooksey knew that her true income Schedule C gross for 2013 was $1,356,682. Because Cooksey understated his gross receipts and income on his Schedule C, there are taxes due and payable for 2013.

As part of her plea deal, Cooksey agreed to be permanently barred from preparing, assisting, advising, or advising in the preparation or filing of federal income tax returns for anyone other than herself. same. He is also prohibited from maintaining an association with a tax preparation company, from instructing, teaching or otherwise training any person in the preparation of federal income tax returns.

The case was investigated by the IRS-Criminal Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary J. Mudrick and Mike Shannon.