Cahokia woman sentenced in scheme that caused over $325K in losses
A Cahokia woman is headed to federal prison for fraud and aggravated identity theft in a scheme that caused over $325,000 in losses.
Tamecia Buckley, 37, of Cahokia was sentenced Wednesday to serve six years and three months for seven fraud counts and five aggravated identity theft counts, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Buckley pleaded guilty to the charges in July and has been in federal custody since August 2019
In addition, Buckley will serve a three-year term of supervised release following her imprisonment on the fraud counts and a one-year term of supervised release on the aggravated identity theft counts
Records and documents in the case reveal that for about a five-year period, Buckley used the identities of real people, some of whom were elderly females, without their permission to purchase a car, lease cellphones, which she sold for cash and activate utility services, causing losses of over $325,000.
In sentencing Buckley, U.S. District Judge Staci M. Yandle acknowledged the emotional harm aggravated identity theft victims experience, stating that many people “don’t consider how serious it is.”
U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft also acknowledged that in 2018, 14.4 million Americans became identity theft victims. This averages out to about 1 out of every 15 Americans or a new victimization every two seconds.
“If you believe you have been a victim of identity theft, I encourage you to contact your local police department and submit a report,’’ Weinhoeft said in the news release.
