Cedar Rapids Woman Pleads Guilty to $100,000 Fraud

A woman who defrauded her former employer out of more than $100,000 pled guilty March 11, 2011, in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Sarah Ann Godsey, 33, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of one count of bank fraud, one count of access device fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.

In a plea agreement, Godsey admitted she used her employer’s checking account for her own purposes without permission by forging her supervisor’s signature on checks and making unapproved electronic transfers. She also used credit cards belonging to her supervisors for her own benefit without her supervisors’ approval and used another person’s name, date of birth, and Social Security number as part of her credit card fraud. Godsey caused at least $113,298.35 in loss to her former employer.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Godsey remains free on bond previously set pending sentencing. Godsey faces a mandatory minimum sentence of two years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 47 years’ imprisonment, a $1,500,000 fine, $300 in special assessments, and nine years of supervised release.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sean Berry and was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is CR 11-18.