CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A Charlottesville woman, who altered and forged checks she obtained without the consent of the checks’ owners, was sentenced yesterday to thirty-six months in federal prison.
Samantha Leigh Thomas, 33, pleaded guilty in February 2022 to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, Thomas devised a scheme in which she altered or forged stolen checks and then deposited all of her ill-gotten gains into one of five personal checking accounts maintained at five different financial institutions. The eventual loss suffered by the victims exceeded $25,000. In addition to being required to pay back the money she stole, Thomas will be on supervised release for a period of four years after her release from prison.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division made the announcement.
The United States Postal Inspection Service and the Albemarle County Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald M. Huber is prosecuting the case.