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Tax preparer sentenced to more than 7 years

Dauda Koroma falsely listed foster and disabled kids as dependents on client tax returns.

A TAX PREPARER who falsely listed foster and disabled kids as dependents on clients' tax returns, defrauding the IRS of millions of dollars, was sentenced yesterday to seven years, 10 months in federal prison.

Dauda Koroma, 43, worked at Medmans Financial Services in Southwest Philly. He was one of nine people charged in the case.

Koroma, a citizen of Sierra Leone, pleaded guilty in October to charges of conspiracy, filing false tax returns, fraud and aggravated identity theft.

U.S. District Judge Legrome Davis told Koroma there was a moral "distaste" for what he did by using the foster and disabled kids' names on client returns. He said a message of deterrence needed to be sent to the public.

The judge also reprimanded Koroma for lying about a more recent matter.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Klotz said federal authorities had evidence that Koroma this year - even after pleading guilty - had prepared a tax return for a client at an Upper Darby office using someone else's name as the tax preparer, instead of his own. Koroma had denied doing so under oath at an earlier hearing this year.

Yesterday, after a brief consultation with his attorney William Cannon, Koroma admitted before the judge that he had used someone else's name to prepare that tax return.

Koroma was ordered to begin his prison sentence on Oct. 5. He was also ordered to serve three years' supervised release after prison and to pay $39,895 in restitution.