Ex-banker pleads guilty in fraud schemes; money sent to Jamaica

BOSTON (AP):

A former employee of a Massachusetts bank in the United States pleaded guilty on Friday to her role in two separate fraud schemes, federal prosecutors said.

Rushell Harris, 32, of Nantucket, pleaded guilty in US District Court in Boston to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to a statement from the US attorney's office.

Harris worked at Nantucket Bank between June 2014 and November 2018. While working there, she exploited her position to obtain the personal information of a customer and secretly took photographs of the victim's account information, prosecutors said.

She then shared that information with others who attempted to transfer funds out of the customer's account, prosecutors said.

Harris also played a role in a fake lottery scheme that targeted at least 13 victims, prosecutors said. In that conspiracy, victims were contacted by phone and told they had won large prizes, but in order to receive the funds they needed to pre-pay taxes on their winnings.

After victims made an initial payment, they were told more payments were needed for other expenses including insurance, transportation or international customs fees.

Harris and her alleged accomplices transferred proceeds of the scheme to associates in Jamaica and the US.

She faces sentencing January 27.

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 US$250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.