Grant County woman admits to mail fraud

ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Sandra Mae Evans, of Petersburg, West Virginia, has admitted to mail fraud, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
 
Evans, age 62, pled guilty today one count of “Mail Fraud.”  Evans admitted to opening an IRA account at Pendleton Community Bank’s Petersburg, West Virginia, branch in July 2018. A check in the amount of $82,170.50 was mailed from St. Louis, Missouri to Pendleton Community Bank to be deposited into Evan’s IRA account. Evans then deposited the check in August 2018, knowing the check was fraudulent. Evans admits to then requesting and successfully collecting withdrawals from the fraudulent check totaling more than $42,000. Evans then sent $18,000 cash to someone in Florida and $11,000 cash to someone in Utah.

Evans has agreed to pay $35,808.05 in restitution to the Pendleton Community Bank. The amount represents the unrecovered amount of withdrawals made against the fraudulent check.

Evans faces up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod J. Douglas is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the West Virginia State Police investigated.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.