BOSTON – A former Nantucket Bank employee was sentenced today for her role in two fraud conspiracies.
Rushell Harris, 32, of Nantucket, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to four months in prison and two years of supervised release, one of which will be served in home confinement. Harris was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $161,038 and forfeiture of $90,925. On Oct. 8, 2021, Harris pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Between approximately June 2014 and November 2018, Harris engaged in two separate wire fraud conspiracies. In the first conspiracy, Harris exploited her position at Nantucket Bank by obtaining personally identifiable information of a customer and surreptitiously taking photographs of the victim’s account information. Harris then shared that information with co-conspirators who attempted to transfer funds out of the customer’s bank account without authorization.
In the second conspiracy, Harris helped perpetuate a fraudulent lottery scheme targeting at least 13 victims who were contacted by co-conspirators via phone, informing them that they had won large prizes, and that in order to receive the funds they needed to pre-pay taxes on their winnings. In reality, no such prizes existed. After victims made an initial payment, they were advised that additional advance payments were required for expenses such as insurance, transportation or other international customs’ fees. Harris and her co-conspirators transferred proceeds of the scheme to associates in Jamaica and in the United States.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Nantucket Police Department and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie A. Queenin of Rollins’ Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.