Couple Sentenced for Bank Fraud Scheme and Theft from Tesuque Pueblo Gas Station

ALBUQUERQUE – Two Chimayo women were sentenced to prison for a bank fraud scheme that spanned more than two years and for breaking into a Tesuque Pueblo gas station.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, between January 2020 and August 2022, Angelica Dominguez, 41, and her wife Billy Jo Gussler, 44, carried out a bank fraud scheme that involved stealing and fraudulently cashing checks intended for other people. The scheme caused more than $40,000 in actual loss.

While engaged in this scheme, the pair also burglarized a Tesuque Pueblo gas station in May 2022, breaking a glass door to enter and stealing lottery tickets and cigarettes. They were linked to the theft when Dominguez tried to cash stolen lottery tickets the next day. The burglary caused nearly $2,500 in losses, including property damage.

Neither Dominguez nor Gussler is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe.

Dominguez and Gussler both pled guilty to one count of theft in Indian Country and seven counts of bank fraud. Dominguez was sentenced to 33 months’ imprisonment for her role in these offenses, and Gussler was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment. Upon their release from prison, Dominguez and Gussler will each be subject to three years of supervised release.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison made the announcement today.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated the theft case with assistance from the Tesuque Tribal Police and Quay County Sheriff’s Office. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the fraud case with the assistance of the Santa Fe Police Department, Espanola Police Department, and New Mexico State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Meg Tomlinson and Maria Stiteler are prosecuting the cases.