By Leah Call
The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.
(TNS)
(Aug. 3) MANKATO — The director of African American Affairs at Minnesota State University has vacated his position as of Sunday after a federal jury convicted him on 20 counts of preparing false tax returns for clients.
The jury found Cortez Hollis, who was employed by the university starting in October 2024, guilty of 20 counts of aiding or assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. He owned and operated Hollis Tax Time, a Minnesota tax preparation business prosecutors said was used to prepare false tax returns for clients, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Hollis reportedly added more than $1 million in fraudulent business losses to client tax returns and sought about $387,000 in tax refunds that clients were not entitled to receive, according to court records. The release states he paid himself at least $2,000 or more from the refunds, and at times without the clients’ knowledge.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Hollis claimed he could secure tax credits that other preparers did not know about, but instead reported fictitious businesses and business losses that clients had reportedly not incurred.
“The Fraud Division is working across all fronts to detect, investigate, and prosecute criminal tax violations. We will protect the integrity of our tax system and ensure that those who seek to enrich themselves at the expense of honest citizens face the full weight of federal prosecution,” Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division stated in a DOJ release on the case.
According to a 2024 blog post by MSU’s student union, Hollis graduated from MSU in 2015 with a degree in ethnic studies and gender and women studies, continuing on to get a graduate degree in economics and multicultural studies.
According to a written statement given to The Free Press, MSU is “committed to providing a respectful and professional environment for employees and students alike. The University expects that employees abide by all state and federal laws both while at work and while on their own personal time.”
The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Tax Section, according to court documents and the Department of Justice.
Hollis faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison on each count and the sentencing has not been scheduled.
Photo caption: Cortez Hollis (Minnesota State University)
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© 2026 The Free Press (Mankato, Minn.). Visit www.mankatofreepress.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC.
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