MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Editor's Note: Video above is from August 2020.
A Memphis woman who once ran a tax preparation business in Orange Mound and was accused of conning people and stealing identities has pleaded guilty to several charges in Federal court.
Pia Sims faced federal charges in connection with stolen credit cards, stolen social security numbers, and filing bogus tax returns.
In Federal court Wednesday, Sims pleaded guilty to charges of access device fraud, possession of access device making equipment, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Two other counts were dismissed.
As part of the plea agreement, Sims will pay restitution to “any identifiable victims.”
Under the plea deal, she faces a maximum of 42 years in prison and $750,400 in fines on the charges. She is scheduled to be sentenced May 10, 2022.
According to the federal indictment, Sims conspired with accomplices to get stolen names and social security numbers. Investigators said one accomplice, an Illinois Department of Human Services employee, sold her almost 500 names, according to court paperwork.
According to the indictment, she possessed more than 4,100 social security numbers on her computer, and she filed almost 80 fraudulent tax returns totaling almost $500,000.
The feds also said she had 15 stolen credit cards and used them to buy things like a pool table from Family Leisure.