Taxes | July 10, 2026
Michigan Tax Preparation Business Owner Charged with Fraud
A Shelby Township, MI, man who owns First Class Tax and Consulting and two of his employees are accused of conspiring to defraud the United States and preparing false tax returns, according to federal authorities.
The Macomb Daily, Mount Clemens, Mich.
(TNS)
A Shelby Township, MI, man and two of his employees at his tax preparation business are accused of conspiring to defraud the United States and preparing false tax returns, according to federal authorities.
Jamar Harten of Shelby Township, who owns First Class Tax and Consulting with offices in Warren and Madison Heights, Tabitha Scott of Davisburg and Tyree Monroe Jr., of Detroit were indicted Thursday in U.S. District Court on allegations they prepared or assisted in the preparation of fraudulent tax returns for clients in 2022, according to U.S. attorneys.
Harten and Scott also allegedly committed the same alleged illicit acts in 2021 and 2023, the feds said.
The tax returns contained fraudulent tax deductions and tax credits, which reduced the amount of taxable income reported by the clients and generated refunds the clients were not entitled to receive, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.
According to the indictment, the clients did not provide Harten, Scott, and Monroe any information indicating they were eligible to claim the false deductions or credits.
Harten, Scott and Monroe are each charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, punishable by up to five years in prison, and multiple counts of assisting in the preparation of a false tax return, punishable by up to three years in prison.
Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division made the announcement, and the IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
U.S. attorneys Christopher P. O’Donnell and Joseph D. G. Castro of the DOJ’s criminal division’s tax section are prosecuting the case.
Photo credit: Adam Ferrise/cleveland.com/TNS
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© 2026 The Macomb Daily, Mount Clemens, Mich. Visit www.macombdaily.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC.
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