Former tax preparer who served Fargo residents pleads guilty to false returns

(Fargo, ND) -- A former tax return preparer who served many people in the Fargo area has pleaded guilty to five counts of preparing false tax returns for clients.

Joseph Korha pleded guilty to claiming false tax credits, business profits, and losses on returns which increased his clients' tax refunds, causing the IRS to lose $294,000. Korha made the statements in a Minneapolis courtroom, and worked as a tax preparer for a business in Phoenix, Arizona. Korha submitted more than 100 claims for Fargo residents. 

“This guilty plea is a victory for honest taxpayers,”  U.S. Attorney Mac Schneider for the District of North Dakota said. “Nobody likes taxes, but when a preparer willfully commits fraud, that’s a crime that hurts the millions of Americans who work with trusted professionals to follow the law. I want to thank our partners at IRS Criminal Investigation for ensuring justice was done in this case.”

Korha faces a maximum of three years in prison for each filing of a false return, to a maximum of 15 years in prison.