MOBILE, AL – A Knoxville, Tennessee woman was sentenced to 54 months in prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft after pleading guilty to those offenses in April 2022.
According to court documents, Ramie Renee Marston, 53, was previously convicted and served prison time for various federal felony fraud convictions in the District of New Hampshire. Those crimes included access device fraud, fraud in connection with identification documents, false representation of a social security number, and bankruptcy fraud. Marston was released from federal prison on August 10, 2018, and married her codefendant, Robert Alan Peters, shortly thereafter. Peters was also a convicted felon, having previously been convicted of armed bank robbery and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime in the District of Oregon. Marston and Peters relocated to the Southern District of Alabama, where Peters was being supervised by the U.S. Probation Office.
On August 13, 2018, three days after Marston was released from federal custody, she and Peters visited a branch of Regions Bank in Tillman’s Corner. As captured on bank surveillance video, Marston and Peters opened two new Regions accounts and used fraudulent checks to fund them. Marston admitted that she knew the checks used to open the accounts were fraudulent and contained inaccurate and invalid account numbers. Marston and Peters later withdrew money from the accounts, generating a loss to the bank.
On December 7, 2018, Marston submitted an application containing false information to Sallie Mae for a student loan to attend Remington College in Mobile. In the loan application, Marston fraudulently represented that an individual was a cosigner on the loan when she knew he was not. Marston used the victim’s name, social security number, and date of birth in the application without the victim’s knowledge and authorization.
Senior United States District Judge Callie V.S. Granade ordered Marston to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon her release from prison, during which time she will undergo testing and treatment for substance abuse, will receive mental health evaluation and treatment, and will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Granade ordered Marston to pay $12,858.35 in victim restitution and $200 in special assessments.
Marston’s codefendant, Peters, died in May 2022 while awaiting trial in this case.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The United States Secret Service investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sinan Kalayoglu and Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.