A woman who used a stolen identity to defraud multiple banks was sentenced October 11, 2011, to two years in federal prison.

Jennifer Patricia Gresham, 42, from Woodland, California, received the prison term after a June 21, 2011, guilty plea to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

In a plea agreement, Gresham admitted she fraudulently obtained another California woman’s credit card and driver’s license and used those identity documents to obtain money or attempt to obtain money from banks in and around Cedar Rapids. Gresham entered the local banks, asked for a cash advance on the credit card, and when the credit card was declined as cancelled, Gresham would purport to call her credit card company to have the transaction approved over the phone. In fact, Gresham would call a co-conspirator in the scheme, who would pose as a credit card employee and approve the transaction.

Gresham was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. Gresham was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $200 was imposed, and she was ordered to make $42,633.21 in restitution the victim banks. She must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Gresham’s 24-month sentence must be served consecutive to the 21 months of imprisonment she has served in state custody for related conduct in Montana and Pennsylvania.

Gresham is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger and Peter Deegan and investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, and the Marion Police Department.

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is CR 11-80-LRR.

 

 

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