A North Carolina woman pled guilty on May 4 to participating in a multi-state check fraud conspiracy that resulted in over $250,000 in losses, according to United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr.
The case highlights the ongoing challenges law enforcement faces with financial crimes that cross state lines and involve identity theft. The conviction was announced by Gorgon alongside Felicia George, Inspector in Charge of the Postal Inspection Service’s Detroit Division, and Jared Murphey, acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Detroit.
Shannon Kurrie, age 61 and originally from North Carolina, admitted at her hearing to using stolen personally identifiable information provided by leaders of the conspiracy. She opened bank accounts under victims’ names and deposited both personal and United States Department of Treasury checks on behalf of the group. Kurrie impersonated several individuals by presenting fake identification documents at banks across the country, including locations in Grosse Pointe and Dearborn, Michigan as well as Fort Wayne, Indiana. In each instance she presented false documents before depositing large checks.
Sentencing for Kurrie will take place before United States District Judge Mark A. Goldsmith after a presentence report is prepared. She faces up to 30 years’ imprisonment without parole eligibility, a fine up to $1 million dollars, and up to five years of supervised release following any prison term.
The investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security’s TSA Investigations unit along with the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Dorval Norwood, K. Craig Welkener, and Jasmine Moore are prosecuting the case.
