ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) — A Natchitoches tax preparer has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for helping customers file false tax returns.

U.S. District Judge Dee Drell also on Friday sentenced 38-year-old Lashandra Harris to one year of supervised release and ordered her to pay nearly $102,000 in restitution. Harris pleaded guilty in October.

Federal prosecutors say Harris received kickbacks from customers in exchange for helping them file falsified 2011 tax returns that allowed them to receive inflated refunds.


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