Idaho Woman Gets Prison Term for Identity Theft

(KLIX) – A 34-year-old Idaho woman is facing the consequences of her scheme to defraud people.

Nampa resident Elena Lupuleasa was sentenced Wednesday to 39 months in prison for a scheme involving identity theft, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis. She also was ordered by Senior U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge to pay restitution in a yet undetermined amount, and will be on three years of supervised release after her prison sentence is complete.

Lupuleasa pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft on Nov. 9, 2018.

The news release said that according to court records, Lupuleasa devised and executed a scheme from April through November 2016 to defraud banks using checks, driver’s licenses and other personal information stolen from Boise and Nampa residents.

Lupuleasa then forged a stolen check of one victim and made it payable to another victim. Lupuleasa would then impersonate the payee and cash the check at a local bank by presenting the payee’s stolen driver’s license or other form of identification.

The case was investigated by multiple agencies.