ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A Maryland woman pleaded guilty today to her involvement in an identity theft and bank fraud scheme involving U.S. Treasury checks.
According to court documents, Vanetra Brown, 25, of Capitol Heights, impersonated identity theft victims at local commercial banks in order to cash stolen treasury checks. Brown used false driver’s licenses, false social security numbers, and other fraudulent means to dupe banks in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. into negotiating the stolen checks. The scheme resulted in a loss of $32,705.
Brown pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and faces a maximum of 30 years in prison when sentenced on June 8. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Eric M. Thorson, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Treasury, Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia, and Robert B. Wemyss, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel Smith III and Grace L. Hill are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:18-cr-14.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
