Tawanda Denise Pitt, Filing False Claims for Refund, NC 2024

A Wilson, North Carolina, tax preparer has admitted to running a sprawling tax fraud scheme that ripped off the IRS for more than half a million dollars. Tawanda Denise Pitt, operator of Integritax, pleaded guilty today to filing false claims for refund, capping a federal investigation into her fraudulent practices.

Pitt, who managed the tax preparation business in early 2015, systematically falsified client returns by inventing dependents, fabricating education credits, and concocting phantom businesses. These lies were not isolated errors—they were deliberate moves to inflate refunds far beyond what her clients were legally entitled to receive.

Court documents reveal Pitt didn’t work alone. She trained other preparers in the art of tax fraud, spreading the scam through her operation. Her methods were calculated, consistent, and ultimately costly—causing a total tax loss between $550,000 and $1.5 million. The false education credits alone accounted for over $780,000 in fraudulent claims.

Federal prosecutors laid out the consequences: Pitt faces up to five years in prison, a period of supervised release, and steep monetary penalties. U.S. District Court Judge Malcolm J. Howard has scheduled sentencing for May 8, where the full weight of her crimes will be weighed.

As part of her plea agreement, Pitt has agreed to pay $203,106 in restitution to the IRS. That number, however, barely scratches the surface of the damage done. Investigators say the ripple effects of her actions undermine the integrity of the entire tax system, hitting honest filers the hardest.

The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam F. Hulbig and Trial Attorney Terri-Lei O’Malley of the Justice Department’s Tax Division. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. for the Eastern District of North Carolina commended the team for bringing Pitt’s scheme to justice.