On August 5, 2020, in the Western District of Missouri, Susannah Lesaisaea pled guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, for her role in a scheme involving the negotiation of stolen U.S. Treasury tax refund checks. Lesaisaea was initially charged in a 43-count indictment issued on May 2, 2018.

According to the court documents, between approximately March 11, 2016 and May 9, 2016, Lesaisaea and her coconspirators executed a scheme to defraud various branches of a financial institution. The scheme began by unlawfully obtaining U.S. Treasury tax refund checks stolen from the U. S. Postal Service mail stream. Next, Lesaisaea and her coconspirators obtained fraudulent identification documents, opened fictitious bank accounts in the names of the victims, and then cashed the stolen U.S. Treasury tax refund checks at various banks in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri. Lesaisaea and her coconspirators negotiated approximately 99 stolen U.S. Treasury tax refund checks, resulting in a financial loss of more than $447,000.

At sentencing, Lesaisaea faces up to 30 years' imprisonment; a five-year period of supervised release; and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for the bank fraud offense. She faces a two-year term of imprisonment, consecutive to any other term of imprisonment ordered; a one-year period of supervised release; and a fine of up to $100,000 for the aggravated identity theft offense. Lesaisaea will be required to pay restitution to the victims and a mandatory special assessment of $200 to the court. Sentencing is scheduled for November 17, 2020.

Source:  The facts in this case narrative come from the following publicly available documents: W.D. Mo., Indict., filed May 2, 2018; W.D. Mo., Plea Agr., filed Aug. 5, 2020; and W.D. Mo., Dock. Rep., run Aug. 19, 2020.