EAST ST. LOUIS - The U.S. Attorney's Office in East St. Louis announced today a federal grand jury for the Southern District of Illinois has returned a nine-count indictment charging Erica S. Rose, 30, of East Saint Louis, Illinois, and Ashley N. McKinney, 36, of Pheba, Mississippi, with conspiring to commit bank and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and other felony offenses.
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The investigation was conducted by detectives from the Edwardsville Police Department, Belleville Police Department, Swansea Police Department, and St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Luke J. Weissler.
According to the indictment, Rose used her employment with a Belleville-based in-home health care provider to gain access to the homes of elderly clients in Southern Illinois, where she stole bank account numbers and other identifying information.
The indictment further alleges that Rose provided the stolen materials to McKinney, who withdrew money from ATMs, deposited fraudulent checks, and even purchased a car online for over $28,000 – all using the elderly victims’ funds and identities. Rose and McKinney are due in federal court for their initial appearance on Feb. 11, 2020, at 1:30 p.m.
A trial date has not been set. If convicted, the pair faces up to 30 years in prison on the conspiracy charge. The aggravated identity theft charges each carry a mandatory sentence of two years imprisonment.
An indictment merely is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
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