A Minneapolis man has recently been sentenced to three years in prison in a federal court, months after he and his wife entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors. Federal prosecutors alleged that the couple was involved in an identity theft operation that stole $120,000.
According to the Star Tribune, the 55-year-old man was charged and pled guilty to charges of bank fraud and identity theft, while his wife pled guilty to aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft and aiding and abetting bank fraud. She was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison this past September.
The wife admitted to taking personal information from the adults she cared for as a nursing assistant between April 2006 and November 2008. The woman accessed the individuals’ financial records in order to allegedly write and cash checks from the patients’ accounts. It seems that she also opened credit cards in their names, made purchases with the cards and withdrew cash from their accounts.
In this story the husband and wife admitted their guilt in the crime and there are some situations in which it may be more beneficial to make a plea agreement with prosecutors than to go through with a trial. While this may be true in some situations, it is important to consult an experienced white-collar criminal defense attorney before making any decisions or speaking with police. If you are charged with identity theft, an attorney can explain the consequences of entering a guilty plea and the benefits of going to trial.
Source: Star Tribune, “Mpls. Man who aided wife in ripping off vulnerable adults sent to prison,” Nov. 23, 2011
