PHOENIX – LAWFUEL – Law News Network – Cheryl Ann Newhouse, 49, of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, pleaded guilty today to forging endorsements on Treasury checks and theft of government funds in federal district court in
Phoenix.
Newhouse had been charged with those crimes on September 20, 2006. Between August 2003 and May 2006, veterans’ benefits were issued to Allan Kopp, Newhouse’s former fiance, who had died at age 59 in January 2003 from a condition related to coronary artery disease. Newhouse obtained the Treasury checks issued to Kopp, forged his signature on the checks, and deposited the proceeds of the checks, which totaled $15,735, into her personal bank account.
Convictions for forging endorsements on Treasury checks and theft of government funds carry a combined maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment and a $500,000 fine, or both. In determining an actual sentence, Judge Roslyn O. Silver will consult the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.
Sentencing is set before Judge Roslyn O. Silver on December 18, 2006.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution is being
handled by Robert Long, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR-06-0864-PHX-ROS
RELEASE NUMBER: 2006-208(Newhouse)
