DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – A Dayton woman appeared in U.S. District Court Wednesday to face charges in an indictment alleging that she stole a 72-year-old retired man’s identity and redirected his monthly pension benefits to a bank account she controlled.
The indictment alleges that Melody Hudson, 38, used the man’s personal information to divert his $919 monthly pension benefits into an account before withdrawing the money for her own personal use between April and November 2019. She allegedly went so far as to call the agency paying the pension, identified herself as a relative of the victim, and had someone impersonate the man on the phone call.
Hudson is charged with one count of bank fraud, punishable by up to 30 years in prison, one count of aggravated identity theft that carries a mandatory two-year prison term which would be served consecutive to any other prison time, and one count of use of another person’s Social Security number, a crime punishable by up to five years in prison.
Michigan State Police arrested Hudson in Lansing, Michigan, on July 30. The U.S. Marshals Service took her to Dayton to face the charges against her.
Hudson is set to appear in court Thursday for a detention hearing.
The case is being prosecuted as part of the Justice Department’s Elder Fraud initiative. In March, the Department launched a National Elder Fraud Hotline to provide services to seniors who may be victims of financial fraud. The hotline’s toll free number is 833-FRAUD-11.
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