Mississippi Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiring with a Police Officer to Commit Identity Theft and Fraud

WASHINGTON—Patricia A. Wilson, 34, of Woodville, Mississippi, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Jackson, Mississippi, to conspiring with her cousin, a Natchez Police Department police officer, to commit identity theft, credit card fraud, and bank fraud, the Justice Department announced today.

During her plea, Wilson acknowledged that on May 23, 2009, her cousin arranged a meeting and gave Wilson a credit card, which she believed he had stolen. The police officer, who appeared to be holding a second credit card in his hand, asked Wilson to buy beer for an upcoming party he was throwing. The police officer also informed Wilson that the credit card had a $3,000 credit limit and told Wilson she could also use the stolen credit card to buy something for herself. Wilson took the credit card to a retail store in Vidalia, Louisiana, where she attempted to make a purchase, but the credit card, which had been reported as stolen, was declined. The information to which Wilson pleaded guilty also charges that the police officer made or caused to be made several other charges with the stolen credit and debit cards at retail stores, restaurants, and a gas station in Natchez, Mississippi and Vidalia, Louisiana.

Wilson faces a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison. Her sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Erin Aslan of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenda Haynes of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.