A Warsaw tax preparer was arrested Wednesday, August 9, 2023, on felony and misdemeanor tax charges filed by the North Carolina Department of Revenue. Joann Newkirk Wilson, 69, was charged with eight counts of Aiding or Assisting in the Preparation of Fraudulent North Carolina Individual Income Tax Returns, two counts of Attempt to Evade or Defeat Tax, and one count of Willful Failure to File Returns, Supply Information, or Pay Tax.

Several indictments were issued against Wilson, the owner and a tax return preparer of WOW Tax Service, also known as Mama Jo’s Tax Service and Mama Jo’s WOW Tax Service in Warsaw, North Carolina. Wilson’s indictments include eight felony charges for aiding and assisting in the preparation of false North Carolina Individual Income Tax Returns for clients for the tax years 2019, 2020, and 2021, two felony charges of attempting to evade or defeat income tax by filing a fraudulent 2020 North Carolina Individual Income Tax return claiming false expenses and for not reporting income from her business, and one misdemeanor charge for willfully failing to file a 2021 North Carolina Individual Income Tax Return.

Wilson appeared before a Wake County magistrate and was released with a written promise to appear in court. A first appearance is scheduled for August 21, 2023 in Wake County District Court in Raleigh.

The charges against Wilson resulted from an investigation by special agents with the Department’s Criminal Investigation Division in Raleigh.

The NC Department of Revenue website provides tax fraud alerts for taxpayers, including indicators that a tax preparer may be engaging in fraud. Tax Fraud Alert for Individuals | NCDOR.

Any taxpayers that receive money based on fraudulent or inaccurate tax documents are responsible for repaying those monies to the state.