Patricia Hutchins, Bank Fraud and Making False Statements, New York 2024

A Brockport woman is awaiting sentencing for committing fraud, only to be charged once again with bank fraud and making false statements, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Rochester, NY.

Patricia Hutchins, 53, of Brockport, NY, was charged by criminal complaint with making a false statement and bank fraud, which carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

Hutchins was previously arrested in October 2022 on charges of mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on May 1, 2024, and is awaiting sentencing on that charge, which is scheduled for April 15, 2025.

As part of her plea agreement, Hutchins must pay restitution to two victims: $20,052.00 to reimburse a financial institution for a fraudulent PPP loan disbursement and $25,100.00 to an elderly individual who had been duped into "paying off a debt for a friend" by sending that money to Hutchins.

However, Hutchins has claimed that she has no money to pay the restitution. In October 2024, she stated that she had invested the entire proceeds of her home sale in a retirement account and did not have any money for restitution. The court subsequently delayed her sentencing.

On December 4, 2024, Hutchins appeared once again for sentencing, this time claiming that she had given all of her money to an individual whom she believed to be country music recording artist Kenny Chesney, who had agreed to invest it for her. Hutchins had already used this excuse—that she was scammed by a person whom she believed was Kenny Chesney—twice before.

According to a new complaint, Hutchins deposited the proceeds from the sale of her residence into her bank account approximately one month before her scheduled sentencing on October 16, 2024. In the month leading up to the sentencing, she pulled approximately $15,000.00 out of the account, making numerous $250.00 gift card purchases at merchants such as Walgreens, Tops, Wegman’s, Lowe’s, and Home Depot.

The complaint also accuses Hutchins of fraud involving two credit card accounts.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire is handling the case, which is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward, Boston Division.

Hutchins’ sentencing is currently scheduled for April 15, 2025.

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