Jasonville woman arrested and sentenced to prison on charges of bank fraud and identity theft

CHARLESTOWN, WEST VA. – Stefanie Marie Wells, 37, of Jasonville, Indiana, was sentenced Wednesday, November 16, 2022, to two years and six months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised probation for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Wells was also ordered to pay $10,100 in restitution.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 19, 2020, Wells wrote a $2,700 check from a stolen checkbook and cashed it at a bank in Mount Hope, West Virginia by presenting a stolen driver’s license. Wells admitted to obtaining the stolen license and checkbook on or sometime prior to October 19, 2020.

Wells cashed three additional checks totaling $7,400 from the stolen checkbook on October 19, 2020. Wells used the same stolen driver’s license to cash the stolen checks at banks in Beaver and Beckley, West Virginia, and a different stolen driver’s license to cash the third stolen check at a Montgomery, West Virginia bank.

Wells further admitted to several unsuccessful attempts at fraud. On October 20, 2020, she attempted to cash a $2,650 check from the stolen checkbook at a Charleston, West Virginia bank while using one of the stolen driver’s licenses. Then on November 23, 2020, Wells attempted to cash a $2,300 stolen check at a Beckley West Virginia bank and then attempted to withdraw $2,500 by presenting a stolen driver’s license at a Summersville, West Virginia bank. Investigators said these attempts were unsuccessful.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Park Police, the Beckley Police Department, and the Summersville Police Department.

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Nowles Heinrich prosecuted the case.

A Greene County woman was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for her role in writing and cashing checks from a stolen checkbook.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, Stefanie Marie Wells, 37, of Jasonville, Indiana wrote a $2,700 check from a stolen checkbook and cashed it at a Mount Hope, West Virginia bank on Oct. 19, 2020. Investigators said Wells admitted to getting both the stolen checkbook and and a stolen driver’s license some time before Oct. 19.

Based on court documents and statements made in court, investigators said Wells cashed three more checks totaling $7,400 from the stolen checkbook on Oct. 19 at banks in Beaver, West Virginia; Beckley, West Virginia; and Montgomery, West Virginia.

Wells admitted to trying to cash two other checks worth $4,950 but was unsuccessful at these attempts. She also was unable to withdraw $2,500 from a Summersville bank on Nov. 23, 2020. She used either the stolen checkbook or a stolen license in each incident.

In addition to the 30-month prison sentence for bank fraud and aggravated identify theft, Wells was ordered to two years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $10,100 in restitution.