DOJ: Natasha Banks-Brown sentenced to prison, ordered to pay $3,824,887

A San Antonio tax preparer must serve 53 months in federal prison and pay more than $3.8 million in restitution after a jury convicted her of running a multi-year scheme that used clients as unwitting pawns to file fraudulent tax returns, the U.S. Department of Justice announced. Natasha Sheree Banks-Brown, 45, operated Tasha’s Total Tax Service starting in 2016 and filed roughly 1,200 individual tax returns between 2017 and 2021 that generated over $8 million in refunds, ksat.com reported.

Federal Prison Sentence and Restitution Order Imposed in San Antonio

U.S. District Judge David Ezra sentenced Banks-Brown to 53 months in federal prison, according to the Department of Justice announcement. In addition to the prison term, the judge ordered Banks-Brown to pay $3,824,887 in restitution alongside $1,100 in special assessments. A federal jury found Banks-Brown guilty of all 11 counts against her on April 10, 2026, following a four-day trial in San Antonio, justice.gov reported. Federal authorities indicted her on April 3, 2024, and arrested her two weeks later on April 16, 2024.

Fraudulent Deductions and Controlled Bank Accounts Used to Divert Client Funds

The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations division initiated an inquiry into Banks-Brown in December 2020 after noticing an increasing volume of questionable returns originating from her business. Investigators discovered that Banks-Brown inserted false and fraudulent deductions and credits onto client tax returns to inflate their refund amounts significantly. Because she never quoted a specific upfront price for her preparation services, Banks-Brown utilized tax preparation software that routed the inflated refunds directly into a bank account under her control. She then transferred a portion of the funds to the client while retaining a large percentage as her hidden fee, justice.gov reported. Multiple clients testified during the trial that they had no knowledge of these alterations and were never permitted to review their completed returns before signing them.

Federal Authorities Target Exploitation of the Tax System

Simmons stated in the Department of Justice release that the defendant and other tax professionals exploit the confusing and daunting nature of tax laws, treating their clients as unconscious tools for their own profit. Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr. of IRS-CI’s Texas Field Office labeled Banks-Brown a financial predator who repeatedly scammed both her clients and the United States.

Banks-Brown is a financial predator who used the tax refunds of her clients to feed her greed. We are talking about someone who repeatedly scammed her clients and her country. Because of the jury who convicted her, the special agents that investigated the case and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we returned the favor and took her freedom along with her money.

Christopher J. Altemus Jr.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Chung and Ryan Groomer prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The prosecution aligns with broader federal initiatives, arriving as the Department of Justice ramps up enforcement through its newly established National Fraud Enforcement Division, which works in coordination with the federal task force dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse across government programs.