Twin Cities father, son face federal conspiracy charges in tax refund scheme
Federal prosecutors say they've charged a Twin Cities man and his son in connection to an alleged income tax scheme.
The men, ages 44 and 23, were indicted last week, with each facing one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and six counts of making false claims.
The men, whom officials note as living in "the Minneapolis area," prepared and filed millions of dollars in false income tax returns "for themselves and others" between June 2022 and October 2024, "claiming refund amounts they and the other taxpayers were not entitled to receive." The men are said to have taken cuts from their customers' refunds as payment for their services.
The father allegedly studied up on the scheme through "videos and instruction materials" that included a guide called "TurboTax Sauce the 'Self-Employed' Way," authorities allege.
Officials say for the 2021 tax year in particular, the men filed bogus returns seeking COVID-19 "refundable sick and family leave tax credits" for self-employed people who couldn't work during the pandemic.
The father was also charged with one count of illegally possessing a firearm and is being "detained in federal custody pending trial," officials say. He has previous convictions in Hennepin County for illegal firearm possession as well as fourth-degree assault of a peace officer.
If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 55 years in prison, while his son faces up to 40 years.
Federal officials say police from Minneapolis and Fridley aided in the investigation, as well as the sheriff's offices in Hennepin and Ramsey counties.
