Posted by By Matt Whetstone, Cadillac News on
A woman who was once in possession of $1.5 million worth of fraudulent checks has been sentenced to prison.
GRAND RAPIDS - A woman who was once in possession of $1.5 million worth of fraudulent checks has been sentenced to prison.
Terri Dae Wanamaker, 42, of Chase was sentenced to 63 months prison. Following her release, U.S. District Judge Jack Zouhary ordered Wanamaker to serve three years supervised release.
Further, Wanamaker must repay all the local merchants who accepted the counterfeit financial instruments.
According to the U.S. Attorney's office, Wanamaker was receiving boxes of U.S. Postal Service Money Orders and American Express gift checks from an individual she had met on the Internet. The people claimed to be from Nigeria.
On Aug. 23, 2006, Wanamaker passed a $3,700 counterfeit check at Lake Osceola State Bank, opening a new account in her name. She was subsequently arrested.
While on bond awaiting federal sentencing, the woman began the scheme again.
At the time of her second arrest on Jan. 18, 2007, Wanamaker was in the process of mailing the counterfeited documents to other people involved in the scheme.
Wanamaker possessed hundreds of checks that she possessed, cashed and/or passed on to third parties.
The sentence was increased because she had purchased retail merchandise through fraudulent credit card transactions while awaiting federal sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Charles Gross commended the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Lake County Sheriff's Department for their work in the case.