PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A Portland woman has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for conspiring to file tax returns that claimed more than $1.2 million in fraudulent refunds.
Court documents say 41-year-old Danyelle Calcagno filed at least 224 returns using names and social security numbers she obtained directly or acquired with the help of an Arizona woman.
Prosecutors said Calcagno disguised the source of the filings by using Internet access at hotels. She directed the Internal Revenue Service to deposit the ill-gotten refunds into different bank accounts and prepaid debit cards.
U.S. District Judge Marco Hernandez handed down the sentence Thursday in Portland. Besides the prison time, he ordered Calcagno to pay back nearly $750,000 to the IRS.
Calcagno had pleaded guilty to conspiracy, aggravated identity theft and wire fraud. Her co-conspirator was sentenced in 2015 to three years and three months in prison.