Jefferson City tax preparer convicted of filing false tax returns

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A federal jury has convicted a Jefferson City tax preparer for filing false federal income tax returns for himself and others.

The jury convicted Josiah Mator Jr., 40, on Thursday of two counts of filing false federal income tax returns.

Mator, a US citizen who moved to this country from Liberia in 2001, prepared and electronically filed tax returns for individuals in the Liberian community and other friends and acquaintances for tax years 2010 through 2015. Mator did not have a registered tax preparation business but used Express 1040 software to prepare his clients’ tax returns from his home.

Mator was found guilty of filing a false federal income tax return for his own 2015 income and for other individuals.

The jury deliberated for approximately 30 minutes before returning guilty verdicts on both counts to U.S. District.

Under federal statutes, Mator is subject to a sentence of up to six years in federal prison without parole.