Woman Sentenced To Prison, Ordered To Pay Restitution For Obtaining Fraudulent Student Loans

PITTSBURGH - A Cranberry Township woman has been sentenced in federal court to 15 months imprisonment, five years of supervised release and ordered to pay $632,613.75 in restitution on her conviction of bank fraud and mail fraud, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak imposed the sentence yesterday on Meredith Shuster, 36.

According to information presented to the court, Shuster fraudulently obtained $729,000 in private lender student loans through using the identities and financial information of her parents.

Assistant United States Attorney Robert S. Cessar prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the United States Postal Inspection Service, as well as Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency and the Department of Education for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Shuster.