Two people, from Texas and Connecticut, were arrested in Kenai on Wednesday and indicted on charges of conspiring to commit bank fraud by stealing identities and creating false identification documents after they allegedly attempted to withdraw cash in Eagle River, Wasilla, Anchorage, Soldotna and Kenai.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska, 25-year-old Karey McLeish of Texas and 45-year-old Rebekah Walker of Connecticut were charged on May 16 before being arrested and indicted by a federal grand jury on May 21.
The pair are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, five counts of aggravated identity theft, five counts of forgery or false use of a passport and one count of fraud in connection with identification documents.
Per the release, Anchorage Police were first notified on April 14 that a woman had entered three branches of a local bank — in Eagle River, Wasilla and Anchorage — with “potentially fraudulent military ID and passport cards” that had a photo of the woman but the name and date of birth of account holders. She successfully withdrew $19,000 — $9,500 each from the Eagle River and Wasilla branches, the release said.
On April 15, similar reports were received by both Soldotna and Kenai Police Departments, both of whom were told a woman had presented “potentially fraudulent” military ID and a passport card at local banks in Soldotna and then in Kenai. Bank staff in Kenai recognized the woman from an internally distributed fraud alert, but she fled in a vehicle before ultimately being stopped by Soldotna Police, according to the release. Walker, the release said, was the woman seen in the banks. McLeish is alleged to have been the driver.
When searched, a total of $2,300 in cash and three cellphones were found on the women or in the car, the release said. Police allegedly found 11 military IDs and 11 passport cards in their Soldotna hotel room. All had different names and dates of birth for Alaska residents, the release said, and all had Walker’s picture.
Per the release, the pair were scheduled for their first court appearance on Friday.
This story was corrected on Monday, May 26. A previous version inaccurately said that both of the arrested people were women; McLeish is male.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
