Kanawha County Woman Pleads Guilty to Fraud Charges

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A Kanawha County woman has pled guilty to fraud charges, according to United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Holly Urlahs, also known as Holly Anderson, 32, of Elkview, pled guilty to bank fraud and forging a judge’s signature.

“Urlahs devised quite a fraud scheme. To carry out her scheme, she altered the amount of a cashier’s check in an attempt to get over $8 million and forged signatures on fake documents, including that of a federal judge,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Investigators did great work in this case, ultimately unraveling Urlahs’ web of deceit.”  

Urlahs admitted that she falsely claimed to have sued Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) and was expecting a large financial settlement from her lawsuit. Under these false pretenses, she set out to defraud financial institutions and an insurance company. As part of her fraudulent scheme, Urlahs altered a $100 cashier’s check to reflect an amount over $8.4 million. She also provided fake documents with forged signatures and a personal check for $1 million, although she knew she did not have sufficient funds in her account, to an insurance company to obtain an annuity contract. Urlahs’ check was returned for insufficient funds.

The investigation was conducted by the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigations and the West Virginia Insurance Commissioner’s Special Investigations Division. United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Kathleen Robeson is handling the prosecution.

Urlahs faces up to 35 years in prison and a $1.25 million fine when she is sentenced on January 21, 2021. 

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-00125.

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