
A Narrows woman will serve a year behind bars after participating in an identify theft scheme back in 2007.
Jill Abel Dunford, 47, was sentenced Monday.
She admitted to setting up credit card accounts, using the names and social security numbers of her former employer and the employer's daughter.
Dunford ended up charging more than $26,000 to the unauthorized accounts.
Here is the full news release:
NARROWS WOMAN SENTENCED FOR IDENTITY THEFT
Jill Dunford To Serve 12 Months for her Crimes
ROANOKE, VIRGINIA -- In 2007, a Narrows, Va., woman stole the identity of her employer and her employer's daughter in order to obtain personal credit accounts. Today, she was sentenced to 12 months and one day of federal prison time for her crimes.
Jill Abel Dunford, 47, pled guilty to one count of mail fraud, one count and wire fraud and one count of access device fraud in June. Today in District Court, she was sentenced to 12 months and one-day of incarceration and two years of supervised release thereafter. She was also ordered to pay a $300 special assessment and restitution in the amount of $26,377.
Dunford has admitted that she participated in an identity theft scheme from April 2007 through September 2007 in which she used the personal identifiers of her employer and her employer's daughter to obtain credit card accounts. The defendant did this without the victims' authorization.
Dunford's employment allowed her to have access to the name, social security number and other information for both her employer and their daughter. The defendant falsely opened one credit card account for both her employer and her employer's daughter. In all, the defendant charged a total of $26,877.17 to the two credit cards. The charges included purchases from retail stores, as well as cash withdrawals from ATM machines throughout the Western District of Virginia.
The investigation of the case was conducted by United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Charlene R. Day prosecuted the case for the United States.