IRS now investigating Columbia man’s alleged tax scam

ABC 17 News learned a Mid-Missouri tax scam we have been warning people about is continuing to grow, and now the IRS is involved.

David Keithley is behind bars in Howard County charged for scamming thousands of dollars from people across Mid-Missouri.

Since ABC 17 News told people about his crimes twice in April, more potential victims have come forward. The amount of money now suspected of being stolen is so large, the IRS is officially investigating.

Currently the exact number of victims is unknown. Those who have come forward went to multiple law enforcement agencies, therefore numbers aren’t clear. Plus, there are likely even more victims who still haven’t contacted police.

“When your story aired, then there were some more victims that came forward after seeing your story,” said the Howard County Sheriff, Michael Neal.

Over the last few months, years’ worth of victims have been pouring into the Howard and Boone County Sheriff’s Department, and the IRS. All of the people have complaints about Keithley.

“He was charging some people large amounts of money and this money was supposedly supposed to go to the IRS but was never making it there,” said Neal.

In just a few of the cases, Keithley took nearly $13,000 from an elderly couple from Glasgow and ran off with more than $1,500 from a man in Columbia.

“There may be other people that have been scammed and they just don’t know it yet,” said Neal.

At this point it’s not clear how many years Keithley scammed people or how much money he stole. However, it’s been at least five years and enough cash to officially have the IRS on board.

“They knew about it pretty much from the get go, but then now there has been more victims and everything they are coming in. They are completely engaged,” said Neal.

If you call Keithley’s office, you will be told on the machine to call the IRS. Police urge anyone who feels they were scammed by Keithley to call law enforcement right away.

Keithley had offices in both Fayette and Columbia, and has been found guilty of this type of crime in the past.