Woman enters guilty plea
A Coal Center woman may face up to 20 years in prison and fines reaching $500,000 after pleading guilty in federal court Monday to her involvement in two schemes to defraud her employers. Evalyn McKinney, 36, of 84 South California Drive, Coal Center, was charged with unauthorized use of an access device and passing a forged security of an organization involved in interstate commerce after she used the credit card number and forged and passed numerous checks of her employer without authorization. While on bond for that offense, McKinney stole and forged numerous checks of another employer, according to a news release from United States Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan.
Senior United States District Judge Maurice Cohill scheduled sentencing for Sept. 27. McKinney could receive a total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both under the law. According to federal sentencing guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based on the seriousness of the offense and the defendant’s criminal history. The Financial Crime Task Force of Southwestern Pennsylvania, along with the South Fayette Township Police Department, conducted the investigation leading to McKinney’s prosecution. The task force is comprised of United States Postal Inspectors, United States Secret Service special agents, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, investigators from the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office and detectives from the Allegheny County Police.