Four tax preparers convicted of defrauding the IRS of almost $8 million have been sentenced to 105 months in federal prison, the acting US Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Nancy E. Larson, announced earlier in July.
According to court documents, Festus Adenisimi of Mansfield, Texas, owned FA Tax, a tax preparation business in Grand Prairie, where he and other tax preparers submitted bogus tax returns for their clients, frequently prompting the IRS to issue refunds. The IRS’s estimated loss from these false tax returns was more than $7.5 million.
In September 2024, Adenisimi pleaded guilty to preparing fake tax returns. In his plea deal, Adenisimi agreed to illegally receiving two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling $760,415 through the COVID-19 assistance program of the Small Business Administration.
In March 2025, U.S. Senior District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn sentenced Adenisimi to 57 months in prison and ordered him to pay $10,283,737.65 in restitution.
Three more tax preparers from FA Tax pleaded guilty to filing fake tax returns. Last week, on June 26, 2025, Judge Lynn condemned each of them:
- Sunshyne Endurance Ogungbemi, of Waxahachie, Texas, was sentenced to 18 months in prison in April and ordered to pay $7,533,550.84 in restitution.
- Chris Mary Tijerina, of Crandall, Texas, was sentenced to 15 months in prison in April and ordered to pay $7,560,661.69 in restitution.
- Cynthia Bradley, of Belleville, Illinois, was sentenced to 15 months in prison in June and ordered to pay $5,768,106.28 in restitution.
“The defendants orchestrated a multi-year tax fraud scheme that caused substantial loss to the government,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy Larson. “We will continue to track down those who attempt to cheat the American people, and we will hold them accountable with prison time.”
“I’m proud of the women and men of IRS-CI for their commitment to protect our tax system and their resolve to ensure that those who engage in fraudulent activities face the full extent of the law,” said Gerardo Gomez, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s Dallas Field Office. “The 105 months of federal prison time for the members of FA Tax who falsified tax returns illustrate that tax fraud is not a victimless crime.”
The IRS Criminal Investigation performed the investigation. Marty Basu, an assistant United States attorney, prosecuted the case.
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