Painesville Woman Indicted for Identity Theft and Wire Fraud

A grand jury returned an indictment charging Marcia A. Sweeney, age 44, of Painesville, Ohio, with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

The indictment alleges that between October 7, 2010 through on or about November 24, 2010, Sweeney—with the aid of a prisoner held in the Lake County Jail—devised a scheme to defraud multiple victims by submitting false information and/or making fraudulent representations to open new credit card accounts; add individuals as authorized users to pre-existing credit card accounts; and purchase goods and services from victim retailers including, but not limited to, J.C. Penney, AT&T Wireless, Capital One Bank, and First Premier Bank.

The indictment further alleges that on or about October 12, 2010, Sweeney knowingly transferred, possessed, and used the identification of another individual without lawful authority.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any; the defendant’s role in the offense; and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum, and in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew B. Kall, following investigation by the Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.