A pair of Wisconsin and Missouri residents have been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to bank fraud.
Marialuwisa Prado, 25 of Brookfield, and 30-year-old Jimmy A. Walker of Missouri were both sentenced to prison after stealing and attempting to deposit a check worth over $600,000.
According to court records, Prado was working for a private mail sorting business in Brookfield when she stole mail that contained a check written by a Wisconsin corporation and was made payable to another Wisconsin corporation, for business-related services.
Prado sent the stolen check by FedEx to Walker in Missouri, who had previously set up a sham bank account under the name of the Wisconsin business, according to the DOJ.
Walker opened the account at a bank branch in Olivette, Missouri, and then drove to a different branch of the same bank nearby where he deposited the stolen check. Bank officials flagged the transaction and prevented any funds from being withdrawn.
The judge reasoned that although both defendants lacked a criminal record, the offense warranted significant punishment and a strong deterrent message.
“Law enforcement’s work – and the attentive bank employees who flagged the transaction – directly prevented the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars," U.S. Attorney Gregory Hanstaad said. "It also ensured that these defendants are serving prison sentences instead of reaping the benefits of their criminal conduct."
Prado and Walker were both sentenced to 14 months imprisonment and 3 years supervised release.
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