York Woman Sentenced To 30 Months Imprisonment For Fraud Scheme

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a York County woman was sentenced late yesterday to 30 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Yvette Kane in Harrisburg, for wire fraud.  She was also ordered to pay $83,467.78 in restitution to the victim of the fraud.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Nancy Sipe, age 47, pleaded guilty on October 28, 2014 to one count of wire fraud.  Sipe was indicted by a Grand Jury in Harrisburg in January of 2014.

The charge was based on conduct occurring between August 2008 and February 2012, while Sipe was acting as power-of-attorney for her brother-in-law.  During this time Sipe used the victim’s bank and retirement accounts, without authorization, to fund personal vacations, daily expenses and shopping sprees for herself and her family.  Sipe also wrote out thousands of dollars in checks to herself.  Although Sipe pled guilty, she claimed at the sentencing hearing that she was only responsible for $33,742.43 of loss to the victim, claiming that she provided over $26,000 in cash to the victim’s mother.  Judge Kane found Sipe’s testimony to be not credible and sentenced Sipe to a term of imprisonment at the top of the appropriate Sentencing Guidelines range. 

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daryl F. Bloom.

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