Kathleen Wurts, a San Diego resident, has been sentenced to serve 60 months in federal prison for her role in a $17 million internet fraud scheme, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
Wurts, 60, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and bank fraud in April 2012. She was sentenced by United States District Judge John A. Houston, who also ordered her to serve a three-year term of supervised release following her release from custody.
The scheme, which spanned from at least April 2010, involved Wurts and her co-conspirators defrauding individuals who used online platforms such as Craigslist and Yahoo! to find employment, purchase and sell items, and rent and purchase real property.
According to court documents, Wurts’ co-conspirators mailed her counterfeit money orders and travelers’ cheques from outside the United States, including Nigeria, Abu Dhabi, and the United Kingdom. They also provided her with stolen bank account and credit card numbers via emails and chat logs.
Wurts then created hundreds of fraudulent checks using the stolen bank account numbers and mailed them to the victims, along with counterfeit money orders and travelers’ cheques. She paid for the postage using stolen credit card numbers.
The victims were instructed to deposit the monetary instruments into their own accounts, keep a portion of the money, and wire-transfer the excess to an overseas account.
Wurts received more than $800,000 in counterfeit money orders and travelers’ cheques and created more than $17.2 million in fraudulent checks. She was able to pay for the postage on these checks using stolen credit card numbers, which totalled more than $13,000.
The case was investigated by federal agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Defendant: Kathleen Wurts
Criminal Charges: 18 U.S.C. § 1349 – Conspiracy to Commit Mail, Wire, and Bank Fraud
City and State: San Diego, California
Exact Date: April 2012
Sentence: 60 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release
Dollar Amounts: $17.2 million in fraudulent checks, $800,000 in counterfeit money orders and travelers’ cheques, and $13,000 in stolen credit card numbers used for postage
Related Federal Cases
- Elizabeth Holmes, Wire Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, California 2022 · California
- Kioni Dogan, Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, California 2023 · Alaska
- Nazaret Chakrian, ID Theft and Wire Fraud, California 2023 · Idaho
- McKenzie Marie Earley, $10M Wire Fraud, C.D. California, 2023 · Louisiana
- Consuelo Connie Puente, Wire Fraud, California 2014 · Alaska
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Cybercrime|White Collar Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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