Milwaukee man convicted in $1.1 million scheme to 'boost' tax returns for clients

Chris Ramirez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Tue, January 27, 2026 at 8:43 PM UTC

2 min read

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A Milwaukee tax preparer is facing up to three years in prison after admitting to federal investigators he helped pad hundreds of tax returns for clients that cost the Internal Revenue Service more than $1 million.

Cameron Summers, 35, pleaded guilty Jan. 6 in federal court in Milwaukee to two counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. The crimes also carry a penalty of up to $250,000 in fines on each count.

Prosecutors estimate Summers' crimes cost the IRS more than $1.1 million during that period.

Details of the plea deal were announced in a Jan. 20 statement from Brad D. Schimel, the Acting U.S. Attorney for Wisconsin's Eastern District.

Summers began working at Sapphire Global Services, a tax preparation business in Milwaukee, in 2018.

Court records show that from 2020 through 2022, Summers filed with the IRS more than 400 individual income tax returns for clients, using his name, preparer tax identification number and business name.

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Summers repeatedly used false items on clients’ tax returns to inflate refund amounts, including false business expenses, Sick and Family Leave Credits, Fuel Credits, and Educational Tax Credits, according to a copy of Summers' Dec. 1 plea agreement with prosecutors.

The clients filed their taxes using 1040 Forms.

Schimel said Summers made notations stating that he had “boosted” the refund amount on some returns.

According to court documents, Summers told investigators in an interview that he did "everything he could" to get a big refund. That included using whatever numbers were available and maximizing credits on the returns, the plea agreement states.

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Summers will be sentenced May 5 by U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig.

Chris Ramirez covers courts for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at caramirez@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee man found guilty in $1.1M scheme to falsify tax returns

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