Sewickley Woman Charged with Identity Theft
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Sewickley, Pa., has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of identity theft, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
The one-count indictment, returned on June 19, named Anastacia Benedict, 24, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, on or about Nov. 2, 2011, Benedict used personally identifiable information belonging to a PNC Bank customer in an attempt to commit credit card fraud.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
Inspectors from the United States Postal Inspection Service along with agents from the United States Secret Service who as part of the Western Pennsylvania Financial Crimes Task Force conducted the investigation that led to the Indictment in this case. The Western Pennsylvania Financial Crimes Task Force (WPFCTF) was established in February 1995 as a collaborative, multiagency effort to effectively combat financial crimes, including identity fraud, in Western Pennsylvania. Partnering in this effort is the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Department of Homeland Security, the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office, the Allegheny County Police Department, the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Pennsylvania State Police.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
