JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville woman who called herself the “Tax Genie” is facing up to three years in federal prison after admitting she falsified hundreds of tax returns, creating more than $1.8 million in losses to the United States.
Federal prosecutors say Survalarie Harris, a tax preparer in Jacksonville, knowingly reported false information on returns she filed for clients, including creating fictitious businesses and inventing fake expenses.
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According to court documents, Harris’s scheme stretched back as far as 2018, with investigators determining she prepared more than 900 fraudulent returns between 2020 and 2022.
Her crimes came to light when she prepared a bogus return for an undercover IRS agent posing as a customer.
During that meeting, prosecutors say Harris falsely claimed the agent ran a business and fabricated losses to boost a refund of nearly $3,000 — all without asking for documentation.
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One of Harris’s former clients told Action News Jax she was left owing the IRS more than $5,000 after Harris claimed she had invested thousands of dollars into her small party service business.
“She said that I invested like $23,000 into the business, and how much sense does that make to invest $23,000 in a business that you only profit $300?” the woman said.
The client said she is still paying back the money.
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“I just knew that she would eventually get what she got coming to her,” she added.
When Action News Jax visited Tax Genie Tax Service, the doors were locked and no one answered the phone.
Harris pleaded guilty to aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return. She is scheduled to be sentenced on December 10, and faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison.
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