Survalarie Harris, a tax preparer based in Jacksonville, has pleaded guilty to aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. Harris faces up to three years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for December 10, 2025.
Court documents state that Harris worked as a tax return preparer and knowingly reported false information on returns she prepared for others. This included making false claims about clients having businesses to reduce their owed taxes and increase refunds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). IRS agents found that Harris repeatedly falsified tax returns by creating fictitious business expenses, even when taxpayers provided no documentation. These fake expenses were used to show net losses for non-existent businesses, which lowered the taxpayer’s Adjusted Gross Income and allowed them to qualify for an Earned Income Credit—a refundable credit based on income and filing status.
On March 22, 2022, Harris prepared a 2021 tax return for an undercover IRS agent posing as a customer. During their conversation, Harris told the agent that money would be owed on her return unless she could claim work done on the side. After the agent said she sometimes braided hair, Harris offered to help her receive a refund for an additional fee. Shortly after, Harris told the agent she would get a $2,950 refund minus the fee but did not ask for any supporting documentation about business losses or income. Nevertheless, Harris prepared the return showing a net loss from a non-existent business so that the undercover agent would qualify for an Earned Income Credit.
The investigation revealed that since at least 2018, Harris had been preparing falsified tax returns for clients. Between the 2020 and 2022 tax years alone, agents estimated that she filed more than 900 fraudulent returns. As part of her plea agreement, Harris admitted that her actions resulted in at least $1,824,279 in tax loss to the United States.
The case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisibeth Adams.
