Raenette K. Yangson, Bank Check Forgery, CA 2006-2013

Anchorage’s Raenette K. Yangson, 42, has been indicted for masterminding a $750,000 bank fraud scheme at her former employer, Western Construction and Equipment.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Yangson served as the bookkeeper when she siphoned over $750,000 from the company between 2006 and 2013. The indictment charges that she falsified checks from the business’ Wells Fargo account and forged signatures of owners to pay herself and her husband.

Yangson is also accused of altering the company’s accounting records to make the fraudulent payments appear legitimate. Additionally, she faces five counts of filing false tax returns with the IRS by not reporting the embezzled income.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Bottini outlined the charges against Yangson, noting that if convicted, she could be sentenced to up to 30 years for bank fraud, two consecutive years for aggravated identity theft, and three years for the false tax return charges.

The investigation was a collaborative effort between the FBI, the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, and the Anchorage Police Department. U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler praised these agencies for their work in bringing this case to light.

Despite being an indictment, Raenette K. Yangson is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, where the government must prove her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.