Attempted fraudster gets prison

NORWALK — A woman who was accused of attempting to defraud a financial institution was recently sentenced to prison. Kelsey L. Weikle, 32, of the 600 block of Pine St., Coshocton, Ohio, pleaded guilty to four fifth-degree felonies at a March 4 hearing in Huron County Common Pleas Court. The charges she pleaded guilty to were two counts of identity fraud and two counts of forgery. In exchange for her guilty plea, the state agreed to drop two counts of identity fraud and three counts of attempted theft, all of which were fifth-degree felonies. At the same hearing, Judge James Conway sentenced Weikle to serve six months in prison on each charge. Each identity theft sentence runs concurrently to the other, and each forgery sentence runs concurrently to the other. Both sets of six-month terms are to be served consecutively for a total of one year in prison. Weikle was given three months of jail time credit. An iPhone and forged driver's license in Weikle's possession at the time of the crimes were forfeited to the Monroeville Police Department. Weikle will be subject to up to two years of post-release control. She is eligible to apply for judicial release immediately after arrival at prison. Weikle was transported to the Ohio Reformatory for Women and has been serving her sentence since March 19. She has an expected release date of Dec. 4. Background On Dec. 5, Monroeville police received a call from a credit union in its jurisdiction regarding Weikle attempting to conduct a shared branch transfer, according to a Monroeville police report. A shared branch transfer occurs when funds are transferred from one branch to another that are in the same network, the report states. Weikle was reportedly attempting to transfer $55,000 at the Monroeville credit union. She also allegedly attempted a shared branch transfer at a credit union in Bellevue for $94,000. Tellers stalled Weikle while waiting for officers. When police arrived at the credit union, they identified Weikle from the description given over the phone and asked her to step outside to speak with them. Weikle claimed she was attempting to get a cashier's check, the report states. An officer asked for Weikle's ID, and while she was searching in her bag for it, the officer reportedly saw another ID that was thinner than normal with washed-out colors. The officer asked for that ID as well after Weikle provided hers. The account Weikle was reportedly attempting to transfer money from was located at a credit union in California. The account belonged to the assistant manager at that location.