Destinee McBride, Wire Fraud, New York 2013

A 22-year-old Buffalo woman has pleaded guilty to wire fraud affecting a financial institution, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $1,000,000 or both.

Destinee McBride, of Buffalo, N.Y., entered her plea before U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny, according to U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr.

The charge stems from McBride's involvement in a scheme to defraud the government by obtaining money from the filing of false tax returns. McBride received the proceeds from one of the fraudulent tax returns, which was filed with the Internal Revenue Service and for which the refund was placed on a prepaid debit card.

She used that card to obtain cash from an ATM and merchandise from private businesses. As a result of the scheme, losses to the Internal Revenue Service totaled $534,782.00.

The law enforcement action is part of President Barack Obama's Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, which was established to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes.

The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 29, 2013, at 9:00 a.m. before Judge Skretny.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdny/pr/buffalo-woman-pleads-guilty-wire-fraud