Former Mount Pleasant Woman Pleads Guilty to Fraud Charges Contained in 2 Separate Cases

PITTSBURGH, PA –  A former resident of Westmoreland County pleaded guilty in federal court in Pittsburgh on charges of violating federal wire fraud and mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft, charged in two separate indictments, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Jennifer Lynne Clark aka Jennifer Gill, age 42, formerly of Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania and now residing in Pinellas Park, FL, pleaded guilty to four counts before United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti.

In connection with the guilty pleas in criminal case 18-250, between August, 2015 and October, 2016, Clark defrauded her then employer Elite Oil by stealing company employee credit cards and processing unauthorized payments through Square, Inc.  Clark then set up mobile payment accounts with Square, Inc., in the false names of other businesses, and used the credit card information to authorize fraudulent payments into her own personal bank account.    In making the unauthorized transactions, Clark used credit card numbers that were assigned to specific individual employees.

In connection with the guilty plea in criminal case 19-35, in 2017, Clark defrauded her then employer Wright Traffic Controls by using the identity of a former employee to process payroll checks in a former employee’s name. Clark forged the ex-employee’s signature to the checks, and deposited them into her own bank account.

Judge Conti scheduled the sentencing for June 9, 2020.  The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 32 years in prison for the case at docket 18-250, and a fine up to one million dollars. In the indictment at docket 19-35, the law provides for a maximum total sentence of 22 years in prison, and a fine up to $250,000.  Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Jennifer Lynne Clark.