Erica Shanta Fowler, 27, of Virginia Beach, pled guilty Tuesday to aggravated identity theft for stealing identity information belonging to nursing home patients.
Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after Fowler’s plea was accepted by United States District Judge Robert G. Doumar. She faces a mandatory penalty of two years in prison when she is sentenced on January 19, 2010.
According to court documents, Fowler worked as a nurse at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a nursing facility in Virginia Beach. From May 2008 to July 2008, Fowler accessed and stole identity information from at least nine residents. She then used the personal identity information to open and modify credit card accounts to make more than $14,000 in purchases using the stolen information. The residents were later reimbursed by the credit card lending institutions.
The U.S Postal Inspection Service and the Virginia Beach Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney James A. Metcalfe prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office