Former Bookkeeper Indicted for Committing Bank Fraud Scheme and Submitting False Tax Returns

Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that an Anchorage woman has been indicted for committing a scheme to defraud Wells Fargo Bank and for submitting false tax returns to the IRS. The indictment alleges that Raenette K. Yangson, 42, while employed as a bookkeeper for Western Construction and Equipment, an Anchorage business, embezzled more than $750,000.00 from the company between 2006 and 2013.

The indictment specifically alleges that Yangson created multiple false checks drawn on the business’ Wells Fargo bank account which were made payable to herself or to her husband. It is further alleged that Yangson then forged the signatures of owners of the business on the checks and then made false entries into the business’ computer accounting program to make the payments appear to be legitimate payments to vendors. The indictment also charges Yangson with two counts of aggravated identity theft for forging the owners’ signatures on the fraudulent checks and five counts of submitting false income tax returns to the IRS for failing to report the embezzled income.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Bottini, who presented the case to the grand jury, if convicted, Yangson faces a sentence of up to 30 years in prison for the bank fraud charge, another mandatory two-year consecutive sentence for the aggravated identity theft charges, and up to three years in prison for the false tax return charges.

U.S. Attorney Loeffler commends the FBI, the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, and the Anchorage Police Department for the investigation of this case.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.