Allen University track coach facing five years in prison for tax fraud

Allen University’s head track and field coach was found guilty of preparing fraudulent tax returns and faces up to five years in prison for committing the crime, according to U.S. District attorneys.

U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles said 31-year-old Brandon Jamar Samuels, of Columbia, was found guilty after a jury trial of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. by filing fraudulent tax returns.

Testimony during the trial revealed that Samuels and his co-defendants prepared the fraudulent returns for customers of Daitech Tax Service between 2008 and 2011, Nettles said. Witnesses testified that Samuels instructed cutsomers on how to claim bogus business expenses and other deductions on their tax returns in an effort to decrease their tax liability, while artificially increasing their refund.

Witnesses also testified that Samuels made fraudulent claims on tax return forms without the customers’ knowledge, Nettles said.

Samuels has not yet been sentenced, but Nettles said he faces a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

According to Allen University’s athletic site, Samuels is the university’s head track and field coach and also was an assitant coach at Benedict College.

The case was investigated by agents with the Internal Revenue Service, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney T. DeWayne Pearson and John Potterfield of the Columbia office.

This story was originally published March 4, 2016 at 10:05 AM with the headline "Allen University track coach facing five years in prison for tax fraud."