Woman Sentenced for Tax Evasion

A Columbia woman will spend the next 15 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion.Christine D. Todd, 37, pleaded guilty and admitted in court that she engaged in a tax evasion scheme to defraud her employer and customers. Prosecutors say she stole more than $257,000 from Major Brands, Inc. and its customers from January 2003 to October 2006. A judge sentenced her Wednesday to more than a year in prison and she must also repay nearly $320,000 in restitution.Investigators say Todd processed cash and check payments that were received from customers and then stole a portion of the cash. She also admitted to making an income tax return that falsely reported her income back in 2005. Her 2006 income tax return did not report over $100,000 that she embezzled from Major Brands the previous year.