East Prairie woman sentenced to 36 months for wire fraud, identity theft

CAPE GIRARDEAU – An East Prairie woman was sentenced to three years in prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

On Tuesday, US District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr., sentenced Angelica Woods to 36 months in prison. The 59-year-old East Prairie, Missouri, resident pled guilty on Oct. 7, 2021, to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Woods was employed by an in-home services provider in Mississippi County, Missouri. Part of Woods’ job duties for the service provider included going to homes of elderly clients to provide in-home services for them. Woods devised a scheme to defraud Sallie Mae Bank, and a client of the service provider, to fraudulently obtain a student loan for another person.

On or about Nov. 6, 2018, Woods sent in interstate commerce by wire transmission a false and fraudulent Application Promissory Note fraudulently using the client’s name, date of birth, and Social Security Number, to obtain a student loan from Sallie Mae Bank in the amount of $18,000.

At the time the loan application was submitted, the client was unaware that Woods had used her identity to guarantee repayment of the student loan, and had not given Woods permission to use the client’s identity to obtain the student loan.

Woods fraudulently caused student loan proceeds in the approximate amount of $18,000 to be sent to Missouri Welding Institute located in Nevada, Missouri, via wire transfer in interstate commerce as directed by lender Sallie Mae Bank.

The case was investigated by the East Prairie Police Department, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Paul W. Hahn handled the prosecution for the government.