A woman from Dunklin County has been sentenced to fifteen months in prison for her involvement in a $565,000 fraud scheme. Sheri L. Reeves acted as a “money mule,” facilitating the transfer of stolen funds. The sentencing was handed down by a U.S. District Judge on Tuesday.
Reeves opened an account at a Bank of America branch in Jonesboro, Arkansas, on June 9, 2020. She later added the name of the fraud victim to this account. Her co-conspirators used fraudulent means to access the victim’s account and transferred $565,000 into Reeves’ account. Subsequently, she distributed the money through cashier’s checks obtained in Tennessee and Arkansas and via a CoinFlip cryptocurrency ATM located in Dunklin County.
Despite warnings from the FBI, Reeves continued her involvement in these financial crimes. In November, she pleaded guilty to charges including aiding and abetting bank fraud, conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, and wire fraud.
In addition to her prison sentence, Reeves was ordered to pay restitution amounting to $565,000 to Bank of America and will serve five years of supervised release following her imprisonment.
The FBI conducted the investigation into this case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn prosecuting.
For those who suspect they are involved in or victims of a money mule scheme, contact can be made with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaints Center at ic3.gov or through local FBI offices.
