Saco Woman Pleads Guilty to Bankruptcy Fraud

PORTLAND, Maine: A Saco woman pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Portland today to committing bankruptcy fraud, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

According to court records, in April 2020, Christina Q. Shea, 45, initiated a fraudulent bankruptcy proceeding and submitted filings to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Portland containing numerous false statements. Shea filed the fraudulent bankruptcy using the name and identifying information of another person, falsely representing as her own the other person’s name, Social Security number, employment information, and a fake email address she created. Shea also forged the other person’s name on a money order she submitted to the Bankruptcy Court and later posed as the person while taking an online credit counseling course. 

Shea faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine followed by up to three years of supervised release. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI investigated the case.

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