Buffalo Woman Sentenced on Fraud Charges

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Regina R. McCullen, 53, of Buffalo, N.Y., who was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with identification documents, was sentenced to two years’ probation by U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Arcara.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Catherine Baumgarten, who handled the case, stated that in July 2010, the defendant conspired with others and used her official position as a Customer Assistant with the City of Buffalo Clerk’s Office to illegally produce a birth certificate card. While the fingerprint and photograph on the fictitious card were that of Derek Anthony, the name on the birth certificate was that of another person. Thereafter, the fictitious birth certificate card was used by Derek Frank to travel via airlines between Buffalo, New York and Phoenix, Arizona, without lawful authority.

This marks the first sentencing involved in this criminal conspiracy. In August 2011, Minetta Walker, a former behavior detection officer with the Transportation Security Administration, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States. In September 2011, Tinisha Tucker Anthony pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud. Both defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in January 2012.

The plea is the result of an investigation by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Piehota; Transportation Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, under the direction of Federal Security Director, Derek DePietro; Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Wilbert L. Plummer, Acting Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Division; NFTA Transit Police, under the direction of Chief George Gast, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of James C. Spero.