CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A Charlottesville woman, Samantha Leigh Thomas, 33, was sentenced yesterday to 42 months in federal prison for her role in a bank fraud scheme that resulted in a loss to victims exceeding $25,000.
According to court documents, Thomas devised a scheme in which she altered or forged stolen checks and then deposited all of her ill-gotten gains into one of five personal checking accounts maintained at five different financial institutions.
Thomas pleaded guilty in February 2022 to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. She will be required to pay back the money she stole as part of her sentence.
As a result of her crime, Thomas will be on supervised release for a period of four years after her release from prison. The United States Postal Inspection Service and the Albemarle County Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald M. Huber is prosecuting the case. United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division made the announcement.
Thomas’s scheme involved altering or forging stolen checks and depositing the funds into her own bank accounts. The full extent of her crimes is not clear, but the loss to victims is estimated to exceed $25,000.
In addition to her prison sentence, Thomas will be required to pay back the money she stole and will be on supervised release for four years after her release from prison. The case highlights the importance of vigilance in preventing and detecting financial crimes.
Related Federal Cases
- Raymond Rahbar, Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft, Virginia 2024 · Maryland
- Kalien Frazier, Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft, California 2023 · Washington
- Joseph Dees, Identity Theft and Credit Card Fraud, Pittsburgh PA, 2023 · Pennsylvania
- Ernest Lee Alexander III, Bank Fraud, West Virginia 2024 · Maryland
- Kisha Sutton, Aiding and Abetting Bank Fraud, West Virginia 2025 · Pennsylvania
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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