ST. PAUL, Minnesota – A Minnesota man and a Louisiana man have been indicted for federal tax fraud totaling more than $3 million.
Henry Remington Herod, 42, of Minneapolis, and Matthew McDowell, 44, of Port Allen, Louisiana, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, while Herod faces nine counts of making false claims.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the State of Minnesota, Herod and McDowell conspired to defraud the United States by preparing and filing false federal income tax returns on behalf of themselves and others.
The returns contained false employment, income, and tax credit information that they knew to be false, resulting in large refunds to which the filing taxpayers were not entitled.
Court Documents state Herod prepared and filed false tax returns for tax year 2021, claiming refundable sick and family leave tax credits for certain self-employed individuals who were unable to work due to COVID-19.
According to federal prosecutors, Herod and McDowell prepared and filed false tax returns in 2022, claiming refundable tax credits for federal taxes paid on fuel that was ostensibly used for off-highway business purposes.
According to the federal indictment, Herod and McDowell knowingly and willfully prepared and filed 115 fraudulent federal income tax returns, claiming approximately $3,032,839 in tax refunds to which they were not entitled.
