Fort Worth Tax Fraud Lawyers

Fort Worth Tax Fraud Lawyers: When Family Members Conspire to Defraud America

David Hunt and his twin sons Brandon and Baylon Hunt, along with their half-brother Corey Burt, allegedly filed tax returns in the names of fake trusts. The scheme sought over $8.5 million in refunds from the IRS. They actually received over $1 million before investigators caught up with them. Four family members. One conspiracy. Millions stolen from the government they were supposed to support.

A Fort Worth grand jury returned the indictment in June 2025. The charges: conspiracy to defraud the United States by filing tax returns seeking millions in false refunds. Brandon and Baylon Hunt also allegedly submitted falsified financial instruments and altered money orders. The scheme began in 2016 and continued until investigators pieced together what was happening.

The Family That Defrauded America Together

Heres exactly what the Hunt family allegedly did. They created purported trusts – legal structures that are supposed to protect and transfer wealth legitimately. Then they filed tax returns in those trust names claiming massive refunds. The returns were false. The trusts were fraudulent. And the refunds were theft.

The $8.5 million they sought represents staggering ambition. They werent filing slightly inflated returns hoping to get an extra few thousand dollars. They were systematically attempting to extract millions from the IRS through completely fabricated claims.

And they actually recieved over $1 million before getting caught. That money came from somewhere – from legitimate taxpayers who funded the treasury that paid fraudulent refunds to the Hunt family. Every dollar they recieved was a dollar stolen from Americans who actualy paid there taxes honestly.

$8.5 Million In Fake Trust Returns

The numbers in the Hunt case reveal the scope of there ambition. Over $8.5 million sought through fraudulent returns filed in the names of purported trusts. More then $1 million actualy paid out by the IRS before the scheme collapsed.

Brandon and Baylon Hunt didnt stop at fake returns. According to the indictment, they also submitted falsified financial instruments and altered money orders. They compounded fraud with more fraud. Each additional act of deception becomes a separate charge.

The conspiracy charges mean all four family members face liability for the entire scheme – not just there individual acts. When you conspire with others, your responsible for what they do in furtherance of the conspiracy.

The Tax Preparer Who Recruited In Parking Lots

Anthony “Tony” Floyd took a different approach to tax fraud. He didnt operate from an office building. He recruited victims outside big box stores.

Floyd, a Kennedale tax preparer, pleaded guilty to a $2.6 million tax fraud in the Northern District of Texas. According to court documents, he filed approximately 400 fraudulent tax returns. His method? He recruited “clients” outside big box stores, obtained there personal information via text or cell phone conversations, and rarely met clients in person.

Think about what that means for Floyd’s victims. There names are on fraudulent returns. There Social Security numbers were used to claim false refunds. When the IRS investigates, those victims have to prove they didnt know about or benefit from the fraud.

$1 Billion Hidden By The Professionals

Kevin McDonnell was an attorney AND a CPA. James Richardson was a CPA. Craig Fenton was a tax manager at there firm, McDonnell Richardson, P.C. Together, according to the indictment, they allegedly helped wealthy clients hide more then $1 billion in income from the IRS.

Thats not a typo. One billion dollars in unreported income. More then $200 million in unpaid taxes. A scheme allegedly designed and operated by licensed professionals whose entire careers were built on understanding tax law.

The charges include conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and assisting in fraudulent tax returns. If convicted, they face potential decades in federal prison.

When Tax Preparers Become Federal Defendants

The FA Tax case shows another pattern common in Fort Worth. Festus Adenisimi owned a tax preparation business in Grand Prairie. He and other tax preparers at FA Tax prepared fraudulent returns for there clients – and the estimated loss to the IRS exceeded $7.5 million.

Adenisimi got 57 months in federal prison. The four tax preparers at FA Tax recieved a combined 105 months. He was also ordered to pay over $10 million in restitution. The business he built became evidence of how he defrauded both the government and the clients who trusted him.

Adenisimi also admitted to fraudulently obtaining two Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling $760,415. The pandemic relief programs became another opportunity for fraud.

Texas Has No Income Tax – But Federal Prison Is Real

Fort Worth sits in a state with no income tax. This creates the same false confidence that traps people across Texas. They think no state income tax means reduced enforcement. There completly wrong.

Federal prosecution fills every gap. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Texas has full resources dedicated to tax fraud. The absence of state income tax dosent reduce enforcement – it concentrates all income tax attention on federal violations.

Texas does have sales tax, franchise tax, and other state-level obligations. But for income tax fraud, its entirely federal – and federal prosecutors maintain that 90%+ conviction rate with sentences measured in years. The Hunt family faces federal charges. Floyd got federal charges. McDonnell Richardson faces federal charges. Every income tax fraud case in Fort Worth is a federal case.

The Northern District’s Fort Worth Division

The Northern District of Texas includes both Dallas and Fort Worth Divisions. The Fort Worth Division handles cases from Tarrant County and surrounding areas.

IRS Criminal Investigation coordinates closely with federal prosecutors. By the time charges get filed, investigations have been running for months or years. The 90%+ federal conviction rate reflects how thoroughly cases get built before prosecution begins.

The Professional License Catastrophe

Fort Worth has a substantial professional population – attorneys, accountants, financial advisors, real estate professionals. Many dont realize that tax fraud can destroy there careers independant of criminal penalties.

The Texas State Bar investigates attorneys convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude. Tax fraud qualifies. Kevin McDonnell faces not just potential prison time on the $1 billion shelter charges – he faces losing the law license that enabled his career.

The Texas State Board of Public Accountancy licenses CPAs. James Richardson and Craig Fenton face professional consequences beyond criminal penalties. A tax fraud conviction destroys the trust that licensing is meant to certify.

Defense Strategy In Fort Worth

If your facing tax fraud exposure in Fort Worth, the calculus involves understanding how the Northern District operates.

The Hunt family case shows what happens with conspiracy fraud – all family members charged together. The Floyd case shows how even parking lot recruitment operations get prosecuted – $2.6 million in fraud from 400 returns. The McDonnell Richardson case shows the potential exposure for professional fraud – billion-dollar schemes prosecuted with conspiracy charges.

The time to address tax fraud exposure is before any of that happens. Voluntary disclosure programs exist. Coming forward before the IRS finds you creates opportunities to resolve issues civily – with penalties and interest, but potentialy without prison.

If theres tax fraud exposure in your situation – unreported income, employment taxes not properly paid, aggressive tax shelters that seemed to good to be true – the time to address it is before anyone starts looking. Appeals go to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Your exposure persists untill you address it.