We all know how much trouble we can get into if we don't pay our taxes. Just imagine the trouble that you will bring if you are caught trying to cheat the taxman.  Tax cheaters have been the target of a statewide crackdown with the Louisiana Department of Revenue and the Attorney General's office.  Their most recent arrest of a Gretna Louisiana business owner is the 50th such arrest that has been made since the crackdown began.

We see a lot of situations where people will have reported on their individual income tax return losses in a business that they really don't even own.

That's what Barry Kelly, Director of Criminal Investigations for the Department of Revenue, told the Louisiana Radio Network. He says that working with A.G.'s office they were able to bring charges against Joyce Gaines, the owner of Tax Town in Gretna.

Gaines is believed to have defrauded the state of more that $250-thousand dollars by filing false tax returns on behalf of clients. Gaines along with two of her employees are accused of filing and maintaining false public records and the illegal transmission of monetary funds.

Kelly says Louisiana citizens need to be very thorough in selecting a professional to prepare their taxes.

Who they choose to be their preparer can have all kinds of effects on them because the information that they put on those returns, they're bound to.

Since 2014 it is estimated that anti-fraud programs such as this one have saved Louisiana tax payers $50 million dollars.

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