FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2009
WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/MA
CONTACT: CHRISTINA DiIORIO-STERLING
PHONE: (617)748-3356
E-MAIL: USAMA.MEDIA@USDOJ.GOV
REHOBOTH WOMAN PLEADS GUILTY TO COUNTERFEIT CHECK SCHEME
BOSTON, MA - A Rehoboth woman was convicted today in federal court of bank fraud.
Acting United States Attorney Michael K. Loucks and Thomas Powers, Resident Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service in Providence, RI announced today that ELAINE CARVALHO, age 43, of Rehoboth, MA, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Nathaniel T. Gorton to eight counts of bank fraud.
At today’s plea hearing, the prosecutor told the Court that had the case proceeded to trial the Government’s evidence would have proven that beginning in or about no later than November 2, 2007 and continuing through no later than August 2008, CARVALHO executed a scheme to defraud various federally insured financial institutions by creating and/or cashing counterfeit checks which purported to be drawn on legitimate bank accounts held by a variety of small businesses, educational institutions, not-for-profit entities, and other organizations. CARVALHO was an experienced bookkeeper who obtained the information necessary to create these counterfeit checks from an individual she met on the Internet. Among the fraudulent checks that CARVALHO created and/or received were several checks made payable to herself which she presented for payment at a federally insured financial institution. In total, CARVALHO created and mailed counterfeit checks with an aggregate value of no less than $2,738,000.71.
Judge Gorton scheduled sentencing for December 15, 2009. CARVALHO faces up to thirty 30 years imprisonment, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release and a $1,000,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service with assistance from the United States Postal Inspectors and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James P. Dowden of Loucks’ Economic Crimes Unit.
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