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A former Nantucket Bank employee has been sentenced for her role in two fraud conspiracies.

Rushell Harris, 32, of Nantucket, was sentenced in Boston federal court yesterday to four months in prison and two years of supervised release, including one year of home confinement, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office. Harris must also pay restitution of $161,038 and forfeiture of $90,925. Harris had pleaded guilty in October to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Between approximately June 2014 and November 2018, Harris engaged in two separate wire fraud conspiracies, the statement said.

In the first conspiracy, Harris exploited her position at Nantucket Bank by obtaining personally identifiable information of a customer and surreptitiously taking photographs of the victim’s account information. Harris then shared that information with co-conspirators, who attempted to transfer funds out of the customer’s bank account without authorization. Nantucket Bank at the time was part of Blue Hills Bank and became a division of Rockland Trust Co. when it acquired Blue Hills Bank in 2019.

In the second conspiracy, Harris took part in a fraudulent lottery scheme targeting at least 13 victims who were contacted by co-conspirators by phone informing them that they had won large prizes, according to the statement, and that in order to receive the funds they needed to pre-pay taxes on their winnings. No such prizes existed.

After victims made an initial payment, they were advised that additional advance payments were required for expenses such as insurance, transportation or other international customs’ fees. Harris and her co-conspirators transferred proceeds of the scheme to associates in Jamaica and in the U.S., the statement said.

Former Nantucket Bank Employee Sentenced for Fraud

by Banker & Tradesman time to read: 1 min
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