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PAGE 2 April 2025 E-Edition
IRS issues alert about tax season fraud schemes
As a child, Wilson traveled extensively with her family while her father served in the U.S. Air Force. They lived in Guam, Germany, California, Arkansas, Florida and Mississippi. She attended eighth grade in an Austrian boarding school. In 1990, she enrolled in Weaver High School after the family moved to Calhoun County for her father to work at the Anniston Army Depot. In 1991, she earned her high school diploma at the age of 16. She joined a pilot program at Job Corps in Gadsden until she turned 18 and was of age to join the U.S. Navy. Wilson spent four years in the military and was stationed in Alaska and Washington. In 2000, she became a certified nursing assistant receiving on-the-job training at Jacksonville Health and Rehabilitation. She then worked at various rehabilitation centers and hospitals for the next 22 years. For seven of those years, Wilson worked as a travel CNA in Montana, New Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska. Between 2020 and 2023, she faced an emotionally and physically grueling period of personal trials. In September 2020, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, thrusting Wilson into a new role of caregiver while continuing to manage the demands of her own job as a psychiatric technician and office coordinator at Riverview Regional Medical Center. Three months later, she grappled with the profound loss of her father, Ricky J. Wilson Sr., who suddenly passed away before Christmas. “I was devastated,” she said. “He was a man of integrity; a man who believed in hard work. I got that from him. I learned a lot from him.” Adding to the weight of her challenges, Wilson herself experienced a serious healthcare issue in November 2022, when she underwent exploratory surgery to determine the cause of her inability to retain nutrition through food. The expected 45-minute surgery instead spanned six hours. Doctors discovered that the cause was a result of gastric bypass surgery she had in 2016. The gastric pouch was herniated into her diaphragm and weakened her esophagus. “I was in the hospital for a total of 38 days,” she said. “I almost died twice. I was so sick.” Due to the surgery and physical limitations, Wilson said she needed to find a new occupation. “I couldn’t push, pull or tug anymore,” she said. “I couldn’t sit at a desk and assist patients. I couldn’t be hands-on because I was constantly sick. I couldn’t be productive and provide quality work.” In 2023, a specialist at UAB Hospital realized that the Y-junction of the gastric bypass was dumping excrement into her body, which caused continued illness. It was corrected in July 2023. “Instead of being the caregiver, I had to be cared for,” she said. “My parents raised me to be strong and independent. I wasn’t giving up. My mom aways says, ‘if you can’t reach the stars, go for the moon.’ “To not work has been foreign to me,” she said. “I spent two years without work, and I was depressed. I couldn’t sit there and not do anything.” Her long-term disability expired, so she turned to Britney Knox at the Department of Human Resources in Calhoun County to help her find a job she could physically perform. She joined the A-Reset Program, which is designed for Calhoun County residents who were previously in the workforce and had a desire to return. “I have a lot of skills, but I can’t do them anymore,” she said. “I love taking care of people. It’s my passion. I wanted to go back into healthcare. I didn’t want to just exist.” Wilson found out about the Skills Training programs offered at Gadsden State. She was most interested in phlebotomy and medication assistant. “I wanted to increase my skill set and stay in healthcare without the physical aspect,” she said. Wilson applied for two Paths for Success Scholarships, which paid for tuition. Interfaith Ministries purchased her uniforms and paid the fees for her background and drug checks, her watch, the phlebotomy certification exam and the state exam for medication With tax season in full swing, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) urges U.S. taxpayers and return preparers to be on the lookout for fraud schemes that could compromise their bank accounts and personal information, as well as the U.S. tax system. Current fraud schemes include: • Criminals creating fictitious estates and trusts to generate fraudulent refunds. • New client scams where cyber criminals impersonate new, potential clients to trick tax preparers into responding to their emails. Once the preparer responds, the scammer sends a malicious attachment or URL that can compromise the preparer's computer systems and allow the attacker to access sensitive client information. • Tax schemes, some on social media, that encourage taxpayers to file fraudulent returns featuring inaccurate income, false withholdings or fake credits. Taxpayers are ultimately responsible for ensuring that information is accurate on their tax returns. U.S. taxpayers should protect their wallets and their identities by ensuring they don’t respond to unsolicited emails, phone calls or texts claiming to be the IRS. Taxpayers should also choose reputable tax return preparers who sign and enter their preparer tax identification number (PTIN) on tax forms and don’t promise excessive refunds. Another way to protect from fraud schemes is to rely on IRS.gov for answers to questions about tax forms and eligibility for credits and deductions. IRS-CI dedicates nearly 70% of its time and resources to investigating tax crimes that include questionable refund schemes, return preparer fraud, abusive tax schemes, and more. In fiscal year 2024, IRS-CI initiated 1,373 tax crime investigations and identified $2.12 billion in tax fraud. Six hundred fifteen defendants were sentenced to an average of 27 months in prison for tax crimes during this same timeframe. During FY25, the IRS-CI Atlanta Field Office, which covers the states of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi, has assisted in the criminal conviction of tax preparers for submitting false returns. Alabama • In January, Natoshia Crawford was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay $464,866 in restitution for making false tax returns and assisting in the filing of false tax returns. From 2018 through 2022, Crawford owned and operated On Time Professional Tax Service, LLC, in Montgomery, Alabama. Crawford prepared and filed federal income tax returns for clients where she included false information in tax returns filed on behalf of herself and others. Doing so caused Crawford and some of
“I was in classes with children younger than my own,” she said. “Many of them were still in high school. I had not been in school since 1991. I knew it was going to be hard. Sometimes I wanted to wave the white flag and give up. I’m so glad I didn’t.” Wilson excelled in phlebotomy, maintained an A in her classes and completed clinicals at RMC in Anniston. “The medication assistant program was intense,” she said. “We’d do three chapters a day. We went through a lot of information. It was tough but a great experience.” She said the instructors went above and beyond providing training. “They did everything they could to make sure everyone was successful,” she said. “They worked with our strengths and built on them. We had a wonderful journey with them.” On August 6, 2024 Wilson delivered the invocation during the pinning ceremony for the Skills Training completers. This milestone not only represents a personal triumph but also underscores the power of education within her family—her mother Jeannette and children Alex and Alexis also proudly attended Gadsden State. Jeannette, who is in remission, attended Gadsden State in 1971 prior to getting married. She said she has enjoyed watching her daughter excel as a college student. “Nicole decided that it was important to her to continue in healthcare,” she said. “She wants to contribute and provide top-notch care for others. I have watched her bloom. She was a tender rose but she opens up a little bit every day. This was a burst for her.” Nicole’s son, Alex Wilson, earned an associate degree in 2018 at Gadsden State, where he was a member of the Show Band and Acapella Choir. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree at the University of Montevallo and a Doctorate in Music from the University of Colorado. He currently teaches music for the Birmingham City Schools. “I’m very proud of my mother,” he said. “Taking college courses was something completely new to her. I was so amazed about her perseverance. I knew she’d be good in college because of her life experiences. I’m so proud that she was able to stick to it and excel. It’s a great feeling to see my mother succeed.” In 2016, her daughter, Alexis Wilson, earned an associate degree at Gadsden State, where she attended the Ayers and McClellan campuses on an ambassador scholarship. She currently works as assistant manager for an apartment complex in Oxford and is enrolled in a pharmacy technician program at another institution. “My mother was motivated to complete her studies,” she said. “I watched her study until 3 a.m. I watched her enjoy her classes. She was motivational to me. I was about to give up but I kept going because if my mom can do it, I can, too. I saw her grow as a student. I’m so proud of her.” For more information about the Gadsden State Skills Training Division, please visit www.GadsdenState.edu/Skills-Training. her clients to receive greater refunds than they were entitled to receive. Crawford was ordered to pay $464,866 in restitution. • In January, Cynthia Price was sentenced to 24 months in prison for making false tax returns and assisting in the filing of false tax returns. In addition to the sentence, Price was fined $15,000 and ordered to pay $206,573 restitution. From 2017 through 2022, Price prepared federal income tax returns for others at No Limit Tax Pro in Montgomery, Alabama. In her plea agreement, Price admitted that she included false information in numerous tax returns filed on behalf of herself and others. Doing so caused Price and some of her clients to receive greater refunds than they were entitled to receive. Georgia • In October, Portia Jones, received a sentence of four years’ probation and ordered to pay restitution of $7,988 for assisting in the preparation and filing of a false federal tax return. From 2015 through 2018, Jones ran a business named Just the 2 of Us Financial Solutions out of Marietta, Georgia. Jones prepared and filed these tax returns, and without their knowledge, entered false information for the purpose of receiving a greater tax return than her clients would otherwise be entitled to. • Dianne Thompson was sentenced in December to one year probation and ordered to pay restitution of $225,203 for willfully assisting in the presentation of a fraudulent tax return to the Internal Revenue Service. Mississippi • In January, Slexica Neal received an 18-month sentence for three counts of filing fraudulent tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service. Neal was ordered to pay more than $1,960,000 in restitution to the IRS. As an owner of two tax businesses, Neal submitted fraudulent tax returns, which lowered the taxpayer’s income and ultimately increased the refund they received from the IRS. CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a more than a 90% federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 12 attaché posts abroad. The Atlanta Field Office covers the states of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. You can reach the Atlanta Field Office at atlantafieldoffice@ci.irs.gov and on the IRS-CI Atlanta Field Office LinkedIn.
GSCC Student Beats the odds to return to healthcare Nicole Wilson is a dedicated mother who spent over two decades navigating the complexities of the healthcare field and serving honorably in the U.S. Navy. This past fall, she added to her resume when she earned credentials in phlebotomy and medication assistant from Gadsden State Community College’s Skills Training Division. “I’m excited to do what I love to do and do it well,” she said. “I’m thrilled to be a healthcare provider.” assistant. “I can’t believe how incredibly supportive everyone has been,” she said. “I’m blessed.” When Wilson started the classes at Gadsden State, she quickly realized she was the oldest student.
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