Twanna Dorothea Campbell, aka “Twanna D. Gaines,” “ Twanna Campbell-Moore,” and “Mrs. T,” age 32, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty this week to conspiracy to file false tax returns and aggravated identity theft.
According to her plea agreement, Campbell and another individual owned a tax preparation business that operated under various names, including Phoenix Tax World, 101 Taxes, 420 Income Tax Services, and 1 One 1 Taxes (collectively, “Phoenix”). Between 2006 and 2009, Phoenix was located in Baltimore at several locations.
From approximately late 2005 or early 2006 through at least April 2009, Campbell and her co-conspirator prepared over 600 fraudulent individual federal income tax returns on behalf of her clients.
In June 2009 law enforcement officers executed a search warrant and seized $96,480 in cash hidden in Campbell’s home. Law enforcement officials also found a book maintained by Campbell containing a list of names, dates of birth and social security numbers of children which Campbell used to obtain larger tax refunds for her clients by claiming deductions for dependents who were not actually related to her clients.
As part of her plea agreement, Campbell agrees to the entry of a forfeiture order and a restitution order of at least $1 million, the amount of loss sustained by the IRS as the result of this scheme.
Campbell faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy; and two years’ mandatory imprisonment consecutive to any other term of imprisonment for aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge William M. Nickerson scheduled sentencing for March 9, 2011, at 10:00 a.m.
For more details on this case, see the press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Maryland