Cleveland Heights Woman Ordered To Pay $700,000 In Tax Fraud Restitution

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — Janice Parks, 57, from Cleveland Heights, has been sentenced to three years in prison for claiming false tax refunds, U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman announced Thursday. Parks reportedly received more than $700,000.

“This defendant stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from taxpayers and earned this prison sentence,” Herdman said in a statement.

Parks pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government. District Judge Sara Lioi sentenced her to 41 months in prison. Parks has also been ordered to pay $701,052 in restitution. (To stay up to date on these stories, subscribe to the Patch Cleveland Heights newsletter. As news breaks and the story develops, you will be the first to receive updates from Patch.)

To perpetrate her scheme, Parks posed as a tax preparation specialist. First, she posed as the owner of J&H Professional Tax Services and then the Cleveland-based Jantaxx.

From there, she would claim tax credits on behalf of people who were not entitled to those credits. She then directed other people, including her incarcerated sons, to recruit people she could file fraudulent tax returns for, Herdman's office said.

Parks would then ask that portions of the refunds be directed to her bank account, for personal gain, Herdman's office said. In total, Parks claimed about $1.5 million in fraudulent tax returns. The IRS paid refunds totaling about $700,000.

“This defendant stole $700,000 in fraudulent income tax refunds and today’s sentencing proves that stealing from the government is a serious crime,” IRS Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Korner said.

A Cleveland woman, Helen Wynder, 55, previously pleaded guilty to her role in Parks scheme. Wynder was sentenced to probation and ordered to pay $701,052 in restitution.

The investigation into Parks was led by the Internal Revenue Service.

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