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Department of Justice United States Attorney Julia C. Dudley |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, October 5, 2009 |
CONTACT: Brian McGinn PHONE: 540-857-2974 FAX: 540-857-2179 EMAIL: Brian.McGinn@usdoj.gov www.usdoj.gov/usao/vaw |
FORMER CALL CENTER EMPLOYEE SENTENCED TO
18 MONTHS FOR WIRE FRAUD
Shelia Mae Hairston Also Ordered To Pay $109,000 In Restitution
DANVILLE, VIRGINIA -- A former call center employee who admitted to conducting a wide ranging wire fraud scheme was sentenced today in U.S. District Court here for stealing more than $109,000 from customers whose accounts were handled by the GSI call center where she worked.
Sheila Mae Hairston, 48, of Axton, Va. pleaded guilty on July 9, 2009 to three counts of wire fraud. Today she was sentenced to 18 months of incarceration and ordered to pay $109,000 in restitution.
At a previous hearing, Hairston admitted that beginning in April 2006 and continuing through April 2008, she fraudulently credited her personal checking accounts with funds intended for GSI customers’ credit card accounts. The defendant did this without authorization from the customers.
In order to perpetuate her scheme, Hairston would access GSI customer account information and submit a false refund claim, without the customers’ authorization. She would then divert the fraudulent refunded monies to her personal checking account. The defendant admitted to making approximately 190 such transactions, causing $109,684 to be fraudulently deposited into her checking accounts.
The investigation of this case was conducted by United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney Charlene R. Day is prosecuting the case for the United States.