Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Viviane Cazeau (36, Massachusetts) has pleaded guilty to bank fraud.  She faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

According to the plea agreement, Cazeau, as well as others, would call Bank of America and other financial institutions and fraudulently pose as an account holder.  Cazeau would provide enough information to convince the bank employee that she was the true account holder. Upon gaining access to the account, Cazeau would then request a new debit card and personal identification number (PIN). She would request that the card and PIN be mailed to the address on file with the bank. The card and PIN would then be mailed to the address, stolen from the victim’s mailbox, and used for ATM withdrawals in Florida and Massachusetts. During the course of this investigation, law enforcement has identified approximately $822,698 in losses tied to this scheme.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney.