Georgia Woman Sentenced for Bank Fraud and Identity Theft

       BUFFALO, N.Y.B U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Kristina Thomas, 42, of Columbus, Georgia, formerly of Buffalo, N.Y., who was convicted of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft following a jury trial, was sentenced to 32 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Arcara. The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $6,473.
 
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward H. White and Maura K. O'Donnell, who handled the trial of the case, stated that in 2005 and 2006, while the defendant was an employee of HSBC Bank, she and others came into possession of checks and a credit card from HSBC Bank. The checks and credit card were obtained using stolen identifying information of a woman from Illinois. Thomas and others then recruited individuals to cash the checks at various banks in Buffalo. The defendant also caused the credit card to be used at various retailers in Buffalo.

The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Shelly Binkowski.