IRS Agents Arrest Tax Preparer in 570 False Returns, Refunds

A Long Beach tax preparer was arrested on charges of filing about 570 false tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service, seeking fraudulent refunds of $1.67 million, officials said Thursday.

Claude Brown, owner of Rapid Professional Service, was arrested in his office Tuesday by IRS agents, Assistant U.S. Atty. Lee Arian said.

Brown was indicted by a federal grand jury last week on one count of conspiracy and 12 counts of filing false tax returns, according to officials.

Arraignment is scheduled for next Tuesday. If convicted on all 13 counts, Brown would face a maximum sentence of 65 years in federal prison, authorities said.

Brown allegedly filed false tax returns using the names and Social Security numbers he had obtained of individual taxpayers, officials said.

Based on the false documents, the IRS issued federal income tax refund checks totaling about $748,000, Arian said.