A tax preparer from Berkeley County, West Virginia, was sentenced on May 6 to serve 18 months in prison for wire fraud, according to U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Amanda Gorham, age 34 and a resident of Harpers Ferry, was found guilty of using personal information from clients who filed their taxes with her company to open insurance policies without their knowledge or permission. At the time of the offense, Gorham worked as a tax preparer at a business in Martinsburg and also held a position as an insurance agent at another company.
The scheme enabled Gorham to collect commissions and a bonus totaling $44,582.52 from the newly opened insurance policies. She was ordered by the court to pay this amount as part of her sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eleanor Hurney prosecuted the case for the government. The investigation was conducted by the West Virginia Office of the Insurance Commissioner Office of Inspector General Special Investigative Division and the United States Postal Service.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided over the sentencing.
