By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com
A Sacramento woman has pleaded guilty in federal district court to mail fraud and identity theft in a scheme to defraud Wells Fargo Bank customers.
Ronita Prasad, 28, entered the plea this morning before United States District Judge John A. Mendez, according to a federal Department of Justice news release. She was charged with eight counts of mail fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft in the case which resulted from an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service and Wells Fargo Bank's internal security personnel.
From Dec. 15, 2008, to July 1, 2009, Prasad used her position as a telephone banker at Wells Fargo Bank to access customers' accounts without authorization, according to Michelle Rodriguez, the assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting the case. Prasad targeted accounts with high balances, and stole and misappropriated the funds for her own benefit, the news release said. She used customer records to open credit card accounts, obtained ATM cards, then obtained cash advances and made purchases. Through the scheme, she stole more than $76,103.
Officials say Prasad tried to conceal her theft by altering accounts and balances, making false entries on computer records and changing customer addresses.
Prasad faces a minimum sentence of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft and up to 30 years in prison for each mail fraud conviction. She is scheduled to be sentenced at 9:30 a.m. June 29.
Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.
Previous coverage:
Hearing scheduled for Wells theft suspect - Aug. 18, 2009
Wells Fargo employee accused of fraud, theft - Aug. 15, 2009
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