RALEIGH – A Charlotte tax preparer was sentenced on Friday, after pleading guilty Wednesday in Wake County Superior Court to tax charges filed by the North Carolina Department of Revenue.
Ronald McIlwain, 66, of 10310 Creswell Ct., Charlotte, pleaded guilty on February 1, 2017, to 18 counts of Aid or Assist in the Preparation of Fraudulent Tax Returns.
Superior Court Judge Donald W. Stephens consolidated the charges into two judgments and imposed a maximum seven year, two month prison term. McIlwain was ordered to be imprisoned for 56–86 months with the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections. McIlwain was taken into custody by the Wake County Sheriff’s Office.
Information presented in court showed that McIlwain, manager of Overnight Tax Services located in Charlotte, was a preparer of clients’ tax returns for the tax years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 that contained fraudulent personal and business deductions. Evidence discussed in court demonstrated McIlwain created fake businesses, false business expenses, and false or inflated personal expenses and deductions on the clients’ tax returns. McIlwain was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $21,205.43, which represents refunds received by McIlwain’s clients based on the fraudulently prepared returns.
The charges against McIlwain resulted from an investigation by a special agent with the Department’s Criminal Investigations Section in Raleigh.
P.O. Box 25000, Raleigh, NC 27640-0001
An Equal Opportunity Employer