Suburban Chicago Tax Preparer Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for Orchestrating a Variety of Fraud Schemes

CHICAGO — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Illinois, Northern), published as received.

CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago tax preparer has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for orchestrating a variety of schemes that defrauded the IRS, U.S. Department of Education, and U.S. Social Security Administration.

LISA LLOYD TAYLOR, owner of Ebiz Accounting Services in Country Club Hills, Ill., willfully filed false personal or corporate tax returns from 2010 to 2013 that substantially underreported her own income or the income earned by her business.  From 2011 to 2015 Taylor also willfully prepared thousands of tax returns for her clients that claimed false deductions for purported charitable contributions and child-care expenses.  Taylor’s tax schemes resulted in a total federal and state tax loss of more than $1.02 million.

In addition to the tax offenses, Taylor underreported her income to fraudulently obtain more than $53,000 in financial aid benefits for her children.  Taylor’s children otherwise would not have qualified for the Department of Education grants.

Taylor also defrauded the Social Security Administration by applying for and collecting more than $134,000 in disability benefits to which she was not entitled.  From 2011 to 2017, Taylor concealed from the SSA the extent to which she was working and the amount of income she received from Ebiz.

Taylor, 57, of Country Club Hills, pleaded guilty to federal tax and theft charges.  U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood imposed the sentence Friday after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago.  Substantial assistance was provided by the Social Security Administration's Office of the Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Eichenseer.