Feds seek to ban retired Chicago firefighter from preparing tax returns

The federal government is seeking to ban a retired Chicago firefighter from preparing tax returns, claiming he has inflated returns for his customers.

A civil lawsuit filed against Irving Brown Sr., filed in U.S. District Court, alleges he has prepared federal income tax returns for customers understating their tax liabilities to maximize their refunds, according to a statement from the U.S. Justice Department, which filed the complaint. Brown operates Irving Brown Sr. Tax Services out of his home.

Brown obtains tax refunds for his customers, some of whom are fellow firefighters, by using fraudulently earned income tax credits, false charitable deductions and fake business expenses, according to the suit.

The IRS has interviewed several of Brown’s customers, who admitted the deductions were false and not based on information they provided to him, according to the suit.

Brown has prepared more than 2,000 tax returns since 2011, according to the suit. The IRS has investigated 94 of those returns and found the total deficiency totals more than $740,000.