Creative Bookkeeper Gets Caught Double-Dipping!
An accountant in West Virginia, Misty Brotherton-Tanner, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, money laundering and tax evasion for defrauding several businesses that hired her to do their bookkeeping.
Brotherton-Tanner provided accounting services to several businesses and from 2014 until 2020 she created various schemes to defraud all of them. She transferred company funds to her personal bank accounts and moved electronic transactions between accounts in such a way as to hide the fraud under the guise of legitimate transactions.
In some cases Brotherton-Tanner listed herself as an employee of a business and collected a weekly paycheck. In other instances she created fictional workers that she added to a company’s payroll, and those checks would also be deposited into her personal bank account. She also lied about paying state and federal taxes for the businesses she worked for.
Brotherton-Tanner also stole on behalf and at the request of her mother, who pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
She has been ordered to pay $537,173 in restitution and faces up to 50 years in prison and a $750,000 fine.
About the Author
Gregory McCauley Jr., Esq.
Tax Attorney · Villanova University School of Law · Admitted in Delaware, New Jersey, United States Tax Court
Gregory McCauley Jr. is an experienced tax attorney who has personally represented more than 1,000 clients in matters ranging from civil tax controversy and IRS examinations to criminal tax defense, U.S. Tax Court litigation, and complex business disputes. His practice is built on a foundation his c...
