The owner of a New Jersey-based tax preparation company who filed more than 150 tax returns containing false information has been sentenced to prison.

Michael Ewell, Sr., of Milford, Pennsylvania, was sentenced Tuesday to one year and one day in prison and one year of supervised release, the IRS announced in a press release. He previously pleaded guilty to knowingly making a false tax return and aiding or assisting in the preparation of a false tax return.

Ewell was the owner of the Ewell Tax Center, based in West Orange. Between 2015 and 2022, he prepared a total of 157 tax returns containing false information, the IRS said.

The exaggerated returns resulted in additional refunds of $824,835 for its customers, the agency said. The false information included itemized deductions, business expenses and education credits, officials said.

“Mr. Ewell blatantly abused our nation’s tax laws and violated the trust of his clients,” said Jenifer L. Piovesan, Special Agent in Charge of Criminal Investigations for the IRS Newark Field Office.

Upon a client’s return in 2020, Ewell falsely stated that the person had made charitable donations and reported expenses that were not legitimate, authorities said.

In his personal returns between 2017 and 2020, he understated his business’s gross income by $81,116 and overstated his business expenses by $6,338, allowing him to avoid paying approximately $118,000. taxes, officials said.

As part of his sentence, Ewell must pay $736,581 in restitution and will not be allowed to prepare a tax return for anyone except himself.