Elkhart Woman Sentenced to Prison for Mail Fraud Scheme Involving over $1.6 Million in Loss

DES MOINES, IA – On October 6, 2016, Andrea G. Baker, 50, of Eklhart, Iowa, appeared before the Honorable Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger and was sentenced to 27 months of imprisonment for mail fraud, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Baker was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following her term of imprisonment and was ordered to pay $1,656,583.11 in restitution.

Baker pled guilty to one count of mail fraud on June 2, 2016. From around July 2000 until August 2014, Baker served as treasurer for the Ames Chi Omega Alumnae Association ("Chi Omega"). Over the course of fourteen years, she utilized her position as treasurer to engage in a scheme to use funds from Chi Omega for her personal benefit. This included mailing checks from Chi Omega’s account to pay for personal credit card expenses, depositing Chi Omega funds into personal bank accounts, and obtaining United States currency from Chi Omega’s account for her personal use. To conceal her misconduct, Baker made materially false entries and material omissions in Chi Omega’s financial records. Over the course of the fourteen-year period, Baker fraudulently received $1,656,583.11 in funds from Chi Omega.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the cooperation of the Ames Chi Omega Alumnae Association. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.