Nixa woman pleads guilty to fraud

A Nixa woman has pleaded guilty to fraud charges in her capacity as a tax preparer.

Tina Louis Yager, 66, pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud and one count of making false, fictitious and fraudulent claims against the United States, according to a news release from the office of Jeffrey P. Ray, acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri

As a tax preparer at Jackson Hewitt in Republic, Yager utilized information from clients to present false tax returns to the IRS from November 2023 through March 2024. Without her clients' knowledge or approval, Yager included unapproved tax deductions to inflate their returns.

"Yager would then embezzle those monies and spent it for her personal benefit," officials said in the release.

Yager ultimately embezzled $16,850 out of an intended $48,481, federal officials say.

Under federal statutes, Yager could face a sentence of up to 25 years in federal prison without parole, though a sentencing hearing has not yet been held. She'll be required to pay restitution of at least $14,447 to the IRS, and she reached a forfeiture money judgment of $16,850 with the court, according to the release.