August 29, 2007

BENNINGTON WOMAN PLEADS GUILTY TO WIRE FRAUD

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on August 29, 2007, Laura Zipprich, 40, of Bennington, Vermont, appeared in United States District Court and pleaded guilty to Wire Fraud in connection with a fraudulent real estate transfer. Sentencing has been set for December 12, 2007, in Rutland, Vermont. The Honorable J. Garvan Murtha presided at the change of plea.

According to Court documents, in September, 2004, Zipprich used a fraudulently obtained Power of Attorney in order to transfer property and execute a $135,000 mortgage on a Winhall, Vermont home that Zipprich had owned. The property and mortgage were transferred to an unsuspecting victim, making the victim responsible for the mortgage. After the closing, the mortgage company wired approximately $133,000 into an account at a Bennington, Vermont bank. Zipprich was then given more than $54,000 in proceeds from the fraudulent transfer.

In December, 2004, the victim was contacted by Discover Card and learned that an application for a credit card had been submitted using the internet. Because the victim already had a Discover credit card and because the address did not match that of the victim, the credit card company became concerned about the possibility of identity theft. When the victim learned of this attempted fraud, she checked her credit and learned of the outstanding mortgage on the Winhall, Vermont property.

Zipprich faces a sentence of up to 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. The actual sentence will be imposed after a presentence investigation is completed and the Court has considered the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other sentencing factors.

United States Attorney Thomas D. Anderson thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation who investigated the case. The defendant is represented by Barry Griffith, Esq., of Rutland, and William Kraham, Esq., of Brattleboro. Assistant United States Attorneys Nancy J. Creswell and Elizabeth C. Woodcock are prosecuting the case for the United States.