KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a former IRS employee was indicted by a federal grand jury today for filing false tax returns.
Carla Lachelle Mitchell, 48, of Kansas City, Kan., was charged in a 15-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo.
Today’s indictment alleges that, while Mitchell worked as a contact representative at the IRS Service Center in Kansas City, Mo., from 2006 to 2015, she prepared false federal income tax returns for 2011, 2012 and 2013 for 13 of her friends and family, as well as herself.
When preparing tax returns, Mitchell allegedly included several false entries to lower the individual tax liability for her friends, family members and herself or to increase their refunds. According to the indictment, Mitchell has been linked to 27 fraudulent returns through her admissions, witness statements, and IP addresses. The total tax loss for the 27 false and fraudulent income tax returns is approximately $118,012.
Mitchell is charged with 10 counts of filing false tax returns and five counts of aggravated identity theft.
Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jane Pansing Brown. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.