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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Inspector General Gaston L. Gianni, Jr., announced today that former FDIC employee Theresa A. Hill of Seat Pleasant, MD, pled guilty on March 1 to conspiracy in connection with an identity fraud scheme. The scheme's victims included employees of the FDIC and the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG), including federal law enforcement officers. This case was investigated by the Inspectors General of the FDIC and the HHS. According to the "Statement of Facts" presented during the guilty plea, from August 1999 through June 2000, Ms. Hill conspired with five others - Timothy D. Fleming and Shannon A. Williams of Capitol Heights, MD; Ruby L. Downing and Arthur Mathews of Washington, DC; and Yolaunda R. Thomas of Temple Hills, MD - to obtain goods and services on credit by using the names and personal information of unwitting victims. Ms. Hill admitted that the conspirators obtained fraudulent identification cards in the victims' names, and used the names to open credit accounts, obtain goods and services in retail stores and order merchandise over the Internet. Purchases included gift certificates, jewelry and electronic equipment. In furtherance of the conspiracy, Ms. Hill checked the victims' credit status by applying for credit accounts using the victims' names, Social Security numbers and other identifying information. The indictment alleges that the conspirators obtained personal information, including names and birth dates, Social Security numbers and home addresses, about victims who were employed by the HHS OIG and the FDIC. Ms. Hill was employed in the FDIC's finance division; Yolaunda R. Thomas was employed in the administrative office of the HHS OIG. Timothy D. Fleming, Ruby L. Downing, Shannon A. Williams and Arthur Mathews have all pled guilty to Access Device Fraud, in violation of Title 18 of the United States Code, and each faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. They have not been sentenced. A trial date has not been set for Yolaunda R. Thomas. Ms. Hill faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for May 29, 2001. ### Congress created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 1933 to restore public confidence in the nation's banking system. The FDIC insures deposits at the nation's 10,101 banks and savings associations and it promotes the safety and soundness of these institutions by identifying, monitoring and addressing risks to which they are exposed. FDIC press releases and other information are available on the Internet at www.fdic.gov or through the FDIC's Public Information Center (800-276-6003 or (703) 562-2200).