U.S. District Judge Tom S. Lee sentenced a DeKalb tax preparer to serve 30 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and to pay more than $11 million dollars in restitution to the government.

The sentence was issued to Christopher Lashawn Chamberlin, 40, of DeKalb, on July 20 for conspiring to defraud the government by preparing and filing false tax returns using stolen identities provided to him by others. The decision was announced Monday by acting U.S. Attorney Harold Brittain and IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Jerome McDuffie.

Chamberlin, who owned and operated C & T Tax Services in De Kalb, pled guilty on April 11, to conspiracy to defraud the government, according to a Department of Justice news release. 

Chamberlin knowingly submitted false claims to the IRS by preparing and submitting false U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns, Forms 1040, using stolen identities provided to him by a co-conspirator, according to the Department of Justice. The fraudulent returns would have directed the refunds to be deposited into the accounts of other co-conspirators, but an IRS-Criminal Investigation stopped the payments before they were made.

The Department of Justice credited the swift action by the De Kalb Police Department in investigating and reporting the scheme.

Chamberlin also admitted to preparing tax returns for other individuals that included exaggerated losses, which resulted in fraudulently increased refunds, according to the Department of Justice. The restitution is to recover the fraudulently obtained refunds.

“We are pleased with the sentence imposed by the court in this matter,”I McDuffie said in a statement. “We want the individuals who engage in these schemes to know that we will pursue prosecution and seek to hold them accountable for their corrupt endeavors to rob the nations’ taxpayers. IRS – Criminal Investigation is particularly appreciative of the partnership we enjoy with our local law enforcement agencies, and the Office of the United States Attorney in the investigation and prosecution of identity theft related tax crimes.”

This case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dave Fulcher.