MINNEAPOLIS — A St. Paul man has been sentenced to about 10 years in prison for directing a fraudulent tax return preparation business.

Kenneth Mwase and four co-defendants were accused of preparing and filing more than 2,000 fraudulent individual income tax returns in 2006 through 2008. The defendants operated Primetime Tax Services, which had three storefronts in the Minneapolis area.

The 54-year-old Mwase pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States, aggravated identity theft and failing to appear at sentencing. Mwase admitted overseeing a conspiracy that caused a tax loss of more than $2.5 million dollars.

Prosecutors said Primetime reported false dependents, fake business income and losses, inflated deductions and credits in order to get their customers inflated refunds which were sent directly to the company.