A tax preparer in Berkeley County, West Virginia, was sentenced on May 6 to prison for committing financial fraud, according to U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Amanda Gorham, age 34 and from Harpers Ferry, received an 18-month prison sentence for wire fraud. Prosecutors said Gorham worked as a tax preparer at a Martinsburg business while also serving as an insurance agent at another company. She used the personal information of her tax clients to open insurance policies without their knowledge or consent.
According to the announcement, Gorham's scheme was designed to obtain financial gain by collecting commissions and a bonus totaling $44,582.52 from the newly opened policies. She has been ordered by the court to pay a money judgment in that same amount.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eleanor Hurney and investigated by the West Virginia Office of the Insurance Commissioner Office of Inspector General Special Investigative Division along with the United States Postal Service.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided over the sentencing.
