CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa–A woman who used other peoples’ personal information to obtain money from 30 credit unions and four businesses located in eight states has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa said Maegen Catherine Fortin, 40, from Otsego, Minn., received the prison term after a Sept. 15, 2022, guilty plea to one count of financial institution fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Numerous Forms of Fraudulent ID
“Information from Fortin’s plea and sentencing showed that between March 2020 and September 2021, Fortin engaged in fraudulent conduct at credit unions and businesses located in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Illinois, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “Fortin possessed or used the personal identifiers, such as names, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth, of at least ninety different people without their permission in connection with her fraud. Fortin used fraudulent United States passports, military IDs, and state driver’s licenses containing the victims’ personal information to apply for loans, lines of credit, accounts, and/or credit or debit cards in the victims’ names.”
According to prosecutors, Fortin attempted to obtain at least $650,000 and successfully obtained more than $460,000 as a result of her fraudulent conduct.
The Sentence
Fortin was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Fortin was sentenced to 93 months’ imprisonment. She was ordered to make $463,774.59 in restitution to the credit unions and businesses. She must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term.
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