Vicksburg woman handed prison term for fraud
Published 11:00 am Wednesday, November 21, 2012
A Vicksburg woman has been sentenced to spend more than two years in federal prison and pay more than $40,000 in restitution for fraud and identity theft.
Angela Presley, 41, 434 Evans St., was sentenced by U.S. District Senior Judge David C. Bramlette III Monday to 30 months in prison and six months of house arrest followed by three years of probation and $43,142.60 in restitution.
Presley was represented by Vicksburg attorney Wren Way, who said he is fighting the sentence.
“We have discussed it, and there are some other matters that the judge wants to talk about before we go through the process of filing an appeal,” he said.
Following a three-day trial in Natchez, a federal jury on Aug. 23 found Presley guilty of wire fraud, credit card fraud and aggravated identity theft.
She previously had worked as office manager for BrokerSouth Properties, 3608 S. Washington St., and during her time there she had access to credit cards and financial accounts of the business owner, said U.S. Attorney Greg K. Davis.
In 2008, Presley used the owner’s personal information to fraudulently open a credit card in the owner’s name and had that credit card sent to the defendant’s home, Davis said.
“The defendant used this credit card, and other company credit cards, to pay for personal items ranging from alcohol, tobacco, trips to Gulf Shores, Ala., gas for the defendant’s boat, cellphone bills, and her personal car insurance,” Davis said.
A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment against Presley on Feb. 7. The case had been presented to a Warren County grand jury in January 2009, but grand jurors doubted part of the accuser’s testimony and declined to indict Presley, District Attorney Ricky Smith said.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mike Hurst, Darren LaMarca and Scott Gilbert prosecuted the case.