Indictment Unsealed Charging Alabama Woman with Mail Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft

OKLAHOMA CITY—A federal grand jury indictment has been unsealed, charging ERICA RENEE CECIL (a/k/a “Erica King”), 37, from Phenix City, Alabama, with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft, announced Sanford C. Coats, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.

By way of background, the indictment alleges that Sergeant David Cecil was a member of the United States Army stationed in Germany. In 1994, while stationed in Germany, David Cecil married a woman named Carmen Kolb, a citizen of the Germany. The couple subsequently moved to Fort Benning, Georgia, and divorced in 2007. Carmen Cecil (Kolb) returned to Germany. In December of 2007, David Cecil married defendant Erica Renee King in Georgia. Eventually, David Cecil was reassigned to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and on June 9, 2009, he and defendant Erica Renee Cecil (King) divorced in Lawton, Oklahoma. The indictment alleges that beginning in December of 2008, Erica Cecil fraudulently used the name, date of birth, and Social Security number of Carmen Kolb to apply for an two different American Express credit cards and two separate MasterCard credit cards through United Services Automobile Association (USAA). It is alleged that Erica Cecil obtained those credit cards without authorization in order to make various charges and obtain cash advances.

If convicted, Erica Cecil faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, plus mandatory restitution.

Cecil was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Montgomery, Alabama, last week and the indictment was unsealed late Friday, when she had her initial appearance in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. Cecil is scheduled to have a detention hearing tomorrow afternoon in Montgomery, Alabama.

These charges are the result of an investigation started by German law enforcement and coordinated with the Department of Justice Office of International Affairs and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Robinson.

The public is reminded that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial, at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Reference is made to the indictment for further information.