Published: July 09, 2009 12:34 pm      

Guilty pleas in East Texas mail fraud case

MARSHALL — U.S. Attorney John M. Bales announced Wednesday that two East Texas women pleaded guilty to federal mail fraud charges in the Eastern District of Texas. Annie Jean Rogers, 29, of Pittsburg and Shaneka Lasha Baker-Adams, 24, of Longview, both pleaded guilty to mail fraud Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Everingham IV. According to information presented in court, the defendants devised a scheme to defraud and obtain money, specifically unemployment insurance benefits, from the Texas Workforce Commission in the Camp County area by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses and representations. The defendants each admitted to filing a claim for unemployment benefits using a fictitious last employers name and address, and false dates of employment and termination. As a result, defendants received unemployment benefits to which they were not entitled. Texas' unemployment insurance program is administered on behalf of the federal government by state workforce agencies in each state, including the Texas Workforce Commission. A federal indictment was returned by the grand jury on May 6, 2009, charging 12 individuals with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. Rogers and Baker-Adams each face up to 20 years in federal prison at sentencing. Sentencing dates have not been set. The case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Office of Inspector General and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise O. Simpson.