Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Vale, South Dakota, woman convicted on two counts of Wire Fraud, two counts of Money Laundering, and one count of Bank Fraud, was sentenced on August 2, 2021, by Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Rena Hymans, age 48, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, ordered to pay a $500 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund, and $163,969.37 in restitution.
Hymans was indicted for the charges by a federal grand jury August 20, 2020. She pleaded guilty on January 27, 2021. Hymans, in her capacity as a South Dakota licensed attorney, transferred unearned money from her client trust account – where she was required to hold it for the benefit of a client – to her own business and personal accounts, and then used the money for her personal benefit between February 2014 and January 2020.
“IRS-CI will continue to investigate those who take advantage of their position of trust while knowingly taking advantage of their clients,” said Tyler Hatcher, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation’s St. Louis Field Office.
The investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Hymans was ordered to self-surrender to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service on August 24, 2021.
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