Southern Indiana woman sentenced in fraud scheme

New Albany –United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced today that a former Corydon, Indiana, woman was sentenced in federal court by U. S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt sentenced to 75 months (over six years) imprisonment.  Deirdre Martin, 45, was convicted of one count of bank fraud, two counts of aggravated identity theft and two counts of access device fraud.  This matter was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Indiana State Police.

Prior to her sentencing, Martin admitted that she devised a scheme in which she committed bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and used unauthorized access devices to obtain goods, merchandise and services for her personal benefit in an amount over $200,000.

According to the plea agreement filed with the Court, Martin obtained the routing number and account number for a First Savings Bank personal checking account without the knowledge or consent of the owner of the account.  Martin also obtained a Capital One credit card account using the identifying information of another person without consent and made herself an authorized user of the credit card account.

Additionally, Martin obtained Abercrombie and Fitch and Victoria’s Secret retail merchant credit accounts administered by Comenity Bank using the identifying information of another person without consent and made herself an authorized user for the credit accounts.  Martin used the Capital One and Comenity Bank credit accounts to pay for numerous personal expenditures benefiting her and her associates.  Martin used the First Savings Bank routing number and account number to direct electronic funds transfers from the First Savings Bank checking account she took over without authorization to make payments to the Capital One and Comenity Bank credit accounts she opened and for other personal expenditures for herself and her associates including utility services.

Martin directed electronic funds transfers from the First Savings Bank checking account in amounts low enough to avoid the attention of the account owner and First Savings Bank, generally less than $1,000, and to cause the transactions to appear to First Savings Bank to have been made in the due course of business.  As a result of the scheme, Martin caused the transfer of approximately $202,000 from the First Savings Bank checking account she took control of to pay for personal expenditures benefitting her and her associates.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Shellenbarger, who prosecuted the case for the government, Martin also was sentenced to 5 years of supervised release following her release from imprisonment. During the period of supervised release, Martin must submit to drug testing and must pay restitution to the victims of the crimes including $156,701 to the victim of the bank fraud.