February 1, 2019:Baltimore Area Tax Preparer And Former Maryland Department Of Human Services Employee Pleads Guilty To Felony Theft Scheme And Willfully Filing False Income Tax Returns.

Baltimore Area Tax Preparer And Former Maryland Department Of Human Services Employee Pleads Guilty To Felony Theft Scheme And Willfully Filing False Income Tax Returns

State Prosecutor Emmet C. Davitt announced today that Floyd Briscoe Wright, 66, pleaded guilty in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County to felony theft scheme and willfully filing false tax returns.

Wright, while employed by the Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS), owned and operated Briscoe & Associates LLC, a tax preparation business in Baltimore, Maryland. Wright plead guilty as part of an ongoing scheme involving the filing of numerous fraudulent returns. In preparing returns, Wright entered false adjusted gross incomes based on false and inflated business losses, false charitable contributions, fictitious businesses and/or other false filings which minimized his clients’ Maryland tax liabilities and increased their tax refunds (see Statement of Facts at osp.md.gov) The Honorable Laura S. Ripken postponed sentencing until April 2, 2019.

“Tax preparers have an obvious responsibility to file honest tax returns,” said State Prosecutor Davitt. “Maryland citizens and the State itself needs to be protected from tax preparers who engage in this kind of fraud.”

This matter was referred to the Office of the State Prosecutor by the Attorney General’s Office and was investigated by both the Office of the State Prosecutor as well as the Maryland Comptroller’s Field Enforcement Division.