3rd Ohio sister pleads guilty in tax-fraud case

CINCINNATI (AP) — Three Cincinnati sisters have now pleaded guilty in what prosecutors say was an income-tax refund scheme that lasted four years.

Thirty-nine-year-old Tanisha Riston pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy to file false claims for tax refunds and making false statements on a bankruptcy petition.

Her attorney, John Keller, declined to comment today.

Riston’s sisters, 48-year-old Kimberly Riston and 49-year-old Danita Riston, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge last year. They are set to be sentenced in April.

Prosecutors describe Tanisha Riston as the mastermind of the scheme. They say she and her sisters recruited taxpayers for whom they would file tax returns using false income information, defrauding the government of more than $100,000.

Tanisha Riston is set to be sentenced in May.