Former Cincinnati police officer sentenced to five years probation for filing false tax returns

CINCINNATI – A former Cincinnati police officer was given a five-year suspended sentence Tuesday for failing to claim $ 60,114 in cash on her tax returns.

Quiana Campbell, an 11-year officer in the Cincinnati Police Department, received money for off-duty work in Cincinnati nightclubs in 2015, 2016, and 2017, according to her consent form with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

According to the criminal complaint filed against Campbell in the United States District Court, federal agents first became aware of them during an investigation into the possible involvement of Cincinnati nightclubs in organized drug trafficking and money laundering.

“In the course of this investigation, information was received that people associated with nightclubs had been or are being warned of police activity and were essentially informed and possibly protected by members of the Cincinnati Police Department,” an IRS investigator wrote the complaint dated February 14, 2020.

According to the complaint, investigators later uncovered text messages in which a nightclub owner texted Campbell to ask about a specific person who had attended the club.

“She’s an officer …” Campbell wrote back according to the complaint.

In the alleged complaint, Campbell also discussed possible reasons the police would investigate the club, writing, “They work on random evenings and go to different bars. If they come back next weekend I would say yes. “

In an interview with federal investigators, Campbell denied sending the messages, saying she would never fire an undercover officer.

Campbell was charged with lying to federal agents about the news, but that charge was dismissed under her informed consent.

“Quiana Campbell is a caring, hardworking, community-minded person,” wrote Campbell’s defense attorney, Assistant Attorney General Karen Savir, in an April 3 conviction record sent to US District Judge Michael Barrett. “She exhibited poor judgment for failing to report her off duty cash receipts on three tax returns, but her loss of judgment on this should not overshadow her admirable personal qualities or her public service history.”

Under her agreement, Campbell is required to pay $ 23,742.64 – the amount she saved in federal income taxes – to the Internal Revenue Service.

According to Savir’s sentencing record, Campbell returned $ 17,450 of that refund.