Elderly woman becomes victim of bank fraud after wallet is stolen

A 93-year-old woman was a victim of an identity theft scheme devised by three individuals, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, 38-year-old Samantha Johnson of Conyers, Georgia, stole an elderly woman's wallet as she was shopping. Johnson obtained a credit card, personal identification number, checking account numbers and personal information from the wallet. She shared the items with Danyez Hines, 21, and Carlos Garcia, 36. Garcia, who was in jail during all of this, had Johson and Hines transfer funds from the eldery woman's account into Garcia's prisoner bank account. The trio had money transferred to Garcia's account by forging checks and making wire transfers. The victim's bank account had more than $120,000 and fortunately her family reported a number of unauthorized transfers to the bank before substantial funds were stolen. "They exhibited a remarkable callousness toward the impact that their criminal conduct would have on their elderly victim," U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said in a statement. Garcia pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 6 years and 9 months in prison, with an order to pay more than $3,000 in restitution. Johnson was sentenced to five years and 10 months, and Hines was sentenced to two years and 10 months.