Five Years in Prison for Takeover of Online Bank Account

United States Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced that SHARON D. RICHARDS, 43, of Sacramento was sentenced today by United States District Judge William B. Shubb to five years’ imprisonment. The defendant pleaded guilty to bank fraud and computer fraud before Judge Shubb on October 29, 2007.

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(PRNewsChannel) / January 18, 2008 / Sacramento, Calif. - United States Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced that SHARON D. RICHARDS, 43, of Sacramento was sentenced today by United States District Judge William B. Shubb to five years’ imprisonment. The defendant pleaded guilty to bank fraud and computer fraud before Judge Shubb on October 29, 2007.

This case is the product of a joint investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Sacramento Police Department’s Financial Crimes Unit.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Matthew D. Segal of the United States Attorney’s Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIP) Unit, the case began when the victim’s purse was stolen. RICHARDS then used checks and information from the purse to buy a car and use the victim’s online bank account to order credit cards and issue over $202,450.00 in checks to various persons. The defendant was arrested while driving a Nissan 350Z, bought with one of the victim’s checks. The Postal Inspection Service intercepted most of the victim’s checks before the defendant could use them.

Judge Shubb, in sentencing the defendant, observed that the defendant had an extensive prior record involving fraud, and that her most recent conviction "was very serious conduct." Judge Shubb added that the sentence was meant to account for the profit and injury that identity theft crimes cause to real people: "We have to make it clear that crime doesn’t pay."

Contact: Lauren Horwood
Phone: (916) 554-2706
Web site:  http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/cae

Source: USDOJ-Eastern District of Calif.

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