Newsletter August 2026
Volume 26, Number 8
Cheshier Tax Resolution Times
The Frontline Defender for the Distressed Taxpayer®
Cheshier Tax Resolution Employee Announcements
Leadership Pipeline Program
Shannon has been accepted into The Leadership Women Pipeline Program, which helps emerging women leaders strengthen practical skills in communication, decision-making, collaboration, conflict management, and team leadership.
New Team Member
Audra joined the C&A team in August. She brings 10 years of accounting experience and an additional 14 years of experience as an IRS auditor in the agency’s Small Business / Self Employed division. Welcome to the team!
Florist Arranged Flowers Then Rearranged The Numbers
Le Hao Tran, a Houston florist who built luxury floral displays for weddings and corporate events, pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return.
Tran had high end clients, with one corporation paying her 2.7 million dollars for floral services at a corporate event. Between 2019 through 2022, Tran underreported her income by millions. She cashed customer checks and deposited checks into her business account, but did not list the deposits as income.
In 2022, she earned over nine million dollars, but only reported seven million dollars in income. She has already paid $1,391,167 in restitution and faces up to three years in prison and a fine.
QUESTION
How many accountants does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
ANSWER
How many did it take last year?
Tax Preparer Quadruples Average Refund While Scamming the IRS
A former St. Louis tax preparer, Latasha Frison, was found guilty on 16 counts of filing false tax returns.
Frison operated tax businesses under several names, and was accused of falsifying more than a dozen tax returns for six taxpayers between the 2020 and 2023 tax years. The false filings generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in refunds clients were not entitled to.
Investigators were tipped off by red flags on hundreds of Frison’s returns. She filed more than 680 individual tax returns, and all but two claimed refunds. In one year, Frison’s average refund was over $14,000, compared with the average refund in Missouri and Illinois of about $3400. Returns frequently included Schedule Cs, federal fuel tax credits and COVID-19 family and sick leave credits.
In 2021, Scholten reported owing just $2,465 in federal income taxes. In reality, he made $610,818 in taxable income from his side business that year alone, and had a tax liability of $172,618. The proceeds allowed Scholten to finance a lifestyle he wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise.
He was sentenced to 20 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $868,707 in restitution to the IRS.
Rapper Twista Can’t Spin His Way Out of Tax Debt!
Grammy nominated rapper Twista pleaded guilty to five counts of willfully failing to file tax returns.
From 2019 through 2023, Carl Mitchell, best known by his stage name Twista, failed to pay federal income taxes. During that time, he earned money from performances, album sales, streaming and royalties, but ignored warnings from both the IRS and his own accountants about his growing tax debt.
From 2019 through 2023, Carl Mitchell, best known by his stage name Twista, failed to pay federal income taxes. During that time, he earned money from performances, album sales, streaming and royalties, but ignored warnings from both the IRS and his own accountants about his growing tax debt.
Rather than paying what he owed, Mitchell entered into agreements with a third-party company to receive advances on future royalty payments. Authorities said he knew those funds would be beyond the IRS’s reach, preventing the agency from levying them.
Mitchell’s unpaid tax problems go as far back as 2011, and he owes more than $440,000 in federal taxes.
Best known for the 2004 album, Kamikaze, Mitchell worked with several well-known artists, including Ye and Jamie Foxx. While evading the IRS he continued spending freely, purchasing at least four luxury cars.
He faces up to five years in prison and restitution.
IRS Buries Lying and Cheating Headstone Salesman
A Pennsylvania businessman who sold headstones to grieving families pleaded guilty to wire fraud and filing false tax returns.
Between January 2018 and September 2023, Gregory Stefan Jr. used his companies, 1843 and Colonial Memorials, to take advantage of hundreds of customers who were purchasing custom headstones and engraving services for deceased loved ones.
Stefan frequently required customers to pay up front, often collecting 100 percent of the purchase price before work even began. But the majority of orders were not delivered on time, if they were completed at all. Stefan ignored calls asking about the ordered headstones, or falsely assured customers they would arrive soon.
Nearly 500 customers paid him more than 1.5 million dollars, yet many never received either their headstones or refunds.
Stefan admitted filing false federal income tax returns and reporting zero income from his businesses between 2018 and 2021.
As part of his plea agreement, he accepted responsibility for similar offenses in 10 local cases across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, resulting in an additional $210,000 in victim losses.
He faces restitution and a maximum possible sentence of 152 years in prison.
Twin Tax Evaders About to Get Matching Jumpsuits
Twin brothers Dennis and Greg March pleaded guilty to tax evasion after they hid income and failed to pay business and personal taxes from 2017 through April 2023.
Along with a third business partner, the brothers owned and operated several companies, including Elite Marketing Group, Elite MG and Principal Law Group. To avoid paying taxes on the businesses’ earnings, they routed money through a shell company they controlled, disguising income as business expenses while also failing to file numerous required IRS business and personal tax forms.
Each brother concealed more than 4.5 million dollars in income generated from 2017 to 2023, and failed to pay nearly 1.8 million dollars in taxes on that income.
The brothers used money generated through the scheme to purchase Florida real estate worth more than two million dollars, and made payments to build two homes on undeveloped lots. Between 2017 and 2022, they also withdrew more than 3.5 million dollars in cash from business accounts.
Each brother faces up to five years in prison along with restitution.
Did You Know?
If a business is attacked by hackers and pays a ransom to unlock critical data, the payout can be deducted as a business loss, provided the attack is well-documented
Important Upcoming Tax Deadlines
September 15th
Third quarter 2026 estimated tax payments due
September 15th
Partnership and S Corp Business that filed extensions are due
October 15th
Individual Tax return extensions
due
We’d Like to Hear From You!
If you have an IRS issue, or just want to refer a friend, relative or client, we’d love to hear from you. We can provide a no-obligation confidential consultation to help you solve your IRS problems.
Irving – Adrienne @ 972-514-1424
Duncanville – Linda @ 469-647-9950
Pecos – Audra @ 432-445-4949 Greenville – Shannon @ 469-256-4056
Enter Our Trivia Contest for a Chance to Win a
$250 Transferrable Gift Certificate!
Take the Trivia Challenge to win!
Each month, we will give you a new trivia question. The first THREE people who call our office with the correct answer will win a free $250 reduction on any IRS Resolution service we provide. Your prize is also transferrable, so use it for yourself, or give it to a family member or friend. Take your best guess and call Nicole @ 469-647-9950
This month’s question is….
What city has the biggest public school district in the country, with more than 865,000 students?
Call Nicole @ 469-647-9950 with your guess
Your IRS Questions Answered Here…
Question: I’ve heard that the IRS will accept monthly installment payment that settles my tax debt for less than what I owe. Is that true?
Answer: This is what is referred to as a Partial Pay Installment Agreement. The IRS has several debt settlement options but it’s important to act before they garnish your paycheck and/or levy your bank account.
There are several types of Installment Agreements. One of them, is called the “Partial Pay Installment Agreement” (PPIA) where it’s possible to settle your outstanding balance owed the IRS for less. It’s based on your monthly disposable income and how much time remains on the 10-year collection statute expiration date. The IRS can only collect on a debt for 10 years, so the older your IRS tax debt is, the more likely you may qualify for a PPIA. The IRS does not “advertise” this option for obvious reasons. There are strict eligibility requirements that must be met, so the first step is to call us to see if you qualify.
We know how to navigate the IRS maze and know the “ins and outs” of the law as that is what we do every day. As a matter of fact, once we’re retained, you’ll never have to meet or speak with the IRS. We take care of all of that because we know that the worst thing you can do is represent yourself. That’s like going to court without a lawyer.
We at Cheshier Tax Resolution are experts in IRS tax problem resolution and help taxpayers with their IRS Problems every day. There is a solution to EVERY problem. Call us today! Ask for Linda @ 469-647-9950 for a FREE, no-obligation confidential consultation!
That’s it for our August 2026 Tax Newsletter. If something in this month’s edition raises questions about an IRS problem or unresolved tax debt, Cheshier Tax Resolution can help you understand your options and determine the next step.
The IRS has a process. You don’t have to navigate it alone.