By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – A LaPlace tax preparer has been indicted on tax fraud, tax evasion and obstruction of justice charges after he allegedly filed false income tax returns for customers of his business so he could pocket large refunds.

James W. Nelson was charged in a three-count bill of information as part of an investigation involving the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Secret Service, according to a release from U.S. District Court in New Orleans.

Court documents allege that from 2007 through 2011, Nelson or employees under his direction at Nelson’s Computerized Tax Service, prepared and filed false income tax returns for customers that contained false deductions that fraudulently claimed more than $100,000 in refunds the customers were not entitled to.

Additionally, Nelson is accused of neglecting to pay more than $21,000 in income tax on revenue he received in 2006, 2008, and 2009. He also allegedly falsified documents to be used to support one of his customer’s fraudulent tax returns and false deduction amounts contained in the return.

If convicted of the false claims charge or the tax evasion charge, Nelson faces a maximum penalty of five years in jail, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment, as to each count. If he is convicted of the obstruction charge, he could face a penalty of 20 years in jail, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment, according to the document.