All Norfolk Mo Money locations closed

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - All six Mo Money Taxes locations in Norfolk are closed and are not expected to reopen, according to Norfolk Police.

This follows an in-depth 10 On Your Side investigation into the Memphis-based company.

On Monday, Feb. 6, Mo Money customers began contacting the IRS, reporting that their tax returns were not delivered as promised. At approximately 11:30 a.m., Norfolk police officers arrived at the store in the 3800 block of Granby St. to monitor the gathering of a large crowd waiting there to pick up their checks.

At approximately 4 p.m., police told WAVY.com a person claiming to be a Mo Money corporate representative contacted the police department requesting assistance with distributing checks at the Granby Street location. Police responded to assist as a total of 200 checks were distributed to waiting customers without incident.

Tuesday, the Mo Money Taxes on Tidewater Drive was quiet, but a search warrant that was left inside the business showed it hadn't been quiet for long.

"We went in the offices. We have recovered the computers and we have served some search warrants locally. We've got just a ton of electronic evidence to kind of wade through," Officer Chris Amos, the Norfolk Police Department spokesman, said.

That evidence will be used to help police determine if anything criminal happened there. So, what constitutes criminal?

"If these folks filed with the assumption that they were going to get their returns back and they never do then those that filed could be guilty of obtaining money by false pretense," Amos said.

But, if you went into Mo Money for a consultation only and they filed your taxes anyway without your permission, Amos said that is not a police matter.

"In that case, a fraudulent tax return has been filed. The IRS is going want to know about that," Amos explained.

After those 200 refund checks were handed out to customers Monday night and tax office doors closed, Amos said, 12 Mo Money employees voluntarily went to the police department for interviews about the company and their jobs.

"We're trying to determine their part in this. They may just have been local people that needed a part-time job or a seasonal job," Amos added.

Norfolk Police are not alone in their investigation. The IRS is also involved.

"They've got investigators that have been hand in hand with our folks in our economics crimes unit," Amos said.

Remember, the investigation is in its early stages, but police and WAVY.com are pushing forward to get answers.

"We're looking at a possible criminal investigation with potential, 1,700 victims. So, this could be a pretty lengthy ordeal," Amos added.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Norfolk's Commissioner of Revenue says five of the six Mo Money offices were operating illegally. He says only one, run by Andrey Willet, had a valid business license.

"He's been licensed since Dec. of 2011. So, he's fine. It's the other five."

However, Mo Money CEO Markey Granberry insists all six locations had valid business licenses, but Hartig countered only one office filed with the city and now they're working to track down those who ran the franchises.

"Failure to have a business license is a class 1 misdemeanor, which is punishable by a $2,500 fine, but they're gone now. They've slipped away," Hartig said.

Hartig also said it's not difficult to get a business license in the city, "If they have paid their taxes and they come in with the proper paperwork, we will issue them a business license."

He told WAVY.com the likelihood of finding those who ran the unlicensed franchises are slim to none, but the city is certainly going to try.

Individuals that may have filed with Mo’ Money are instructed to do one of the following:

If an individual has filed a tax return with Mo Money, they can check on the status of that return at www.irs.gov . If the funds have been released to Mo Money or a subsidiary of that company, Mo Money is responsible for delivering the refund.

If an individual believes that their taxes have been fraudulently filed, they can contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 and report that a false return has been filed in their name. The IRS will provide assistance to them. Click here to complete the IRS Tax Preparer Complaint form.