Tennessee Woman Sentenced On Federal Bank Fraud And Identity Theft Charges

St. Louis, MO – MELANIE ANN MAHANEY was sentenced to 39 months in prison on multiple fraud charges involving bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. 

According to court documents, between March 8, 2013 and April 19, 2013, Mahaney was recruited to impersonate car burglary victims in a bank fraud scheme.  During the course of the scheme, she received stolen drivers licenses, social security cards, personal checks, credit and debit cards and other forms of identification which had been stolen by others from the vehicles.  Using the stolen identification of car burglary victims, Mahaney cashed checks stolen from other car burglary victims at banks located in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area and the Southern District of Illinois.

Mahaney, Crossville, Tennessee, pled guilty in July to one felony count of bank fraud and a felony count of aggravated identity theft. She appeared today for sentencing before United States District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig. 

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.  Assistant United States Attorney Tracy Berry handled the case for the U.S. Attorney's Office.