A Robeson County woman has admitted to running a massive tax fraud scheme that weaponized pandemic-era relief programs to steal nearly $14 million from the federal government.
Nejlai Mitchell, 48, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to prepare false returns claiming fraudulent refunds based on COVID-19 tax credits, as well as assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. Mitchell owned and operated a tax return preparation business with locations in Lumberton and Hope Mills, North Carolina.
Court documents show that between April 2022 and May 2023, Mitchell and her staff fabricated tax returns for clients. These filings included materially false information specifically tailored to trigger large, fraudulent refunds tied to COVID-19 tax credits. In total, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) paid out $13,890,697.00 before the operation was uncovered…