Sharon Neal, Mail Fraud, Oregon 2024

A stunning case of mail fraud has come to light in Oregon, with Sharon Neal, a resident of Damascus, being arraigned in federal court on Monday.

According to the indictment, Neal is accused of filing 20 fraudulent small claims in circuit courts throughout Oregon, resulting in at least $190,000 in garnished funds from victims.

Neal has been charged with five counts of mail fraud, a serious offense that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, three years' supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.

The scheme, which allegedly took place between August 2018 and November 2022, involved Neal filing false claims against victim companies, claiming they provided low-quality products and services or failed to deliver products and services.

However, the indictment reveals that many of these claims were baseless, and Neal had no legitimate business dealings with the companies she targeted.

As part of the scheme, Neal would send empty envelopes to the victim companies, making it appear as though she had served them with the claim and summons by certified mail.

Since the victims were unaware of the pending cases, they did not respond to the claims, and Neal was able to obtain default judgments and writs of garnishment.

Neal would then provide the writ of garnishment to the victim's bank, receiving a check for the judgment amount.

Victims only learned of these small claims after being notified of the garnished funds by their bank.

Neal made her initial appearance in federal court on Monday and pleaded not guilty to the charges. She was ordered released pending a four-day jury trial scheduled to begin on February 18, 2025.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/damascus-woman-federally-indicted-filing-fraudulent-small-claims-circuit-courts