News

Published on Wednesday, June 11, 2008.
Last modified on 6/11/2008 at 1:29 am

By Gazette News Services

A Billings woman convicted of stealing from the Billings Trap Club will spend four years in federal prison and will have to repay the club $25,332.

Senior U.S. District Judge Jack Shanstrom sentenced Kelly Fitzpatrick Kennedy, 42, on June 4 and ordered the term to run consecutive to a sentence in an earlier fraud conviction. In 2005, Kennedy was sentenced to more than two years in prison and was ordered to pay $1,445 restitution for credit card fraud and identity theft convictions stemming from her stealing personal information from a man she met in Alcoholics Anonymous.

Last November, Kennedy admitted to violating her supervised release and was sentenced to one year and 10 months in prison.

In the Billing Trap Club case, Kennedy pleaded guilty in February to mail fraud and to aggravated identity theft.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said Kennedy worked as an accounting clerk for Accounting and Tax by Stecher and kept the books for the club. The club gave Kennedy signature authority over its checking account.

In 2007, club checks totaling more than $25,000 were written to Kennedy, her creditors, a friend, her boyfriend and to her new business without the club's authorization. Kennedy signed two of the checks and the rest were signed by the club's treasurer. Kennedy forged the treasurer's name on a check of the club, Alme said.


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Link to Article in the Billings Gazette June 11, 2008

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/06/11/news/local/60-fraudcase.txt