⏱ 2 min read
Della Palestino, a 60-year-old woman from Lexington, South Carolina, has admitted to carrying out a string of identity thefts in West Virginia, stealing a total of $37,645 from bank accounts between August 23, 2024, and September 26, 2024. Palestino used a different individual’s personal identifying information, including a forged signature, to access their bank account without authorization in four separate incidents in Huntington, Spencer, Charleston, and Gilbert.
Palestino’s guilty plea revealed that she conducted all four fraudulent transactions, using a counterfeit passport card during one of the withdrawals. The total amount stolen was $37,645, with the largest single withdrawal being $21,920 in Spencer on September 19, 2024.
The investigation was led by the U.S. Department of State-Diplomatic Security Service, with assistance from the West Virginia State Police, the Huntington Police Department, the Charleston Police Department, and the Gilbert Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer D. Gordon.
Palestino is scheduled to be sentenced on October 26, 2026, and faces a mandatory two years in prison, up to one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. She also owes $37,645 in restitution to the victims of her identity theft scheme.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Defendant: West Virginia
- Location: WV
- Source: DOJ Press Release
