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Orlando woman faces 10 years for $5 million ‘Bold & Beautiful' ID-theft tax scam, officials say

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A former bank employee accused of stealing more than $143,000 in IRS tax money has agreed to plead guilty.

Court records obtained by Channel 9's Samantha Manning revealed Shanta Thaxton was part of a scheme to steal hundreds of people's identities and file fraudulent tax returns in their names.

Thaxton faces up to 10 years in prison and/or $250,000 fineortation.

According to court records, Thaxton was a customer representative for Fifth Third Bank in 2012.

She’s accused of helping Tanya Fox, who was convicted of stealing identities of more than 3,500 people and filing more than $5 million worth of fraudulent tax refunds.

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Fox is in federal prison in Florida and not expected to be released until 2032.

Thaxton is accused of helping Fox by directly depositing refund checks into a pair of business accounts she created under the business name Bold and the Beautiful Accounting.

Investigators said from March to July of 2012, Thaxton received 104 stolen direct deposits that totaled more than $143,000. Thaxton is also accused of transferring $10,000 into her personal account.

As part of the plea agreement, Thaxton has been ordered to pay back the IRS for the stolen refunds.

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