A former Nantucket bank employee has agreed to plead guilty on two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal court. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Rushell Harris, 32, engaged in two separate wire fraud conspiracies between June 2014 and November 2018.
“In the first conspiracy, Harris allegedly exploited her position at Nantucket Bank by obtaining personal identifiable information of a customer and surreptitiously taking photographs of the victim’s account information. It is alleged that Harris then shared that information with co-conspirators who attempted to transfer funds out of the customer’s bank account without authorization.”
In the second conspiracy, Harris allegedly helped perpetuate a fraudulent lottery scheme targeting at least 13 victims. According to the charging documents, victims were contacted by co-conspirators via phone and were informed they won large prizes, and that in order to receive their prize, they needed to pre-pay taxes on their winnings. However, no such prizes existed. After victims made their initial payment, they were advised that additional advance payments were required for expenses such as insurance, transportation or other international customs’ fee.
It is alleged that Harris and her co-conspirators transferred proceeds of the scheme to associates in Jamaica and in the United States.
The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
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