Alecia Mae Leonetti, Wire Fraud, Montana 2020

A Kalispell woman has admitted to fraud charges in a scheme to activate and use stolen credit or debit cards with personal information obtained from patient records at Kalispell Regional Medical Center. Alecia Mae Leonetti, 50, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in Missoula, Montana.

The government alleged that between September 2020 and December 2020, Leonetti's co-defendant, Krista Hall, was employed at Kalispell Regional Medical Center. Because of Hall's employment, she had access to the hospital's patient records. Leonetti would obtain stolen credit or debit cards and then contact Hall for Hall to look up the cardholder's personal identifying information. Leonetti would use the personal identifying information to activate the stolen card and then use the card to make purchases or withdraw cash.

In one instance, Leonetti obtained a Glacier Bank credit card belonging to a victim, obtained the victim's personal identifying information from Hall and activated the card. Leonetti admitted to law enforcement she accumulated more than $2,400 in charges at several Kalispell businesses over two days in September 2020.

Leonetti faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on the wire fraud charge. She also faces a mandatory minimum of two years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release on the aggravated identity theft charge.

Sentencing was set for April 24, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Leonetti was released pending further proceedings.

The U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI and Flathead County Sheriff's Office conducted the investigation.

Leonetti was charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for her role in the scheme. Her co-defendant, Krista Hall, has pleaded not guilty to charges in the case and is pending trial.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mt/pr/kalispell-woman-admits-fraud-aggravated-identity-theft-charges-scheme-used-hospital