Local woman sentenced to 57 months in federal prison [The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.]

Herald Bulletin (Anderson, IN)

Aug. 3—ANDERSON — An Anderson woman will serve 57 months in prison on a federal charge of wire fraud.

Lisa Raines, 52, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud.

She reportedly stole $2.1 million from her employer over a decade.

According to court documents, from March 2006 until November 2016, Rains was a Senior Finance Technician for Seven Corners, a travel insurance business located in Carmel. During her tenure, Raines was responsible for processing claims and releasing payments for disbursement. As part of her duties, Raines had access to the company's payments systems.

In March 2006, around the time she started her role as a Senior Finance Technician for Seven Corners, Raines opened a bank account in the name of "L & B Tape, Co.," a business that did not exist. Raines then entered her fake business as a vendor in Seven Corners' payment system. Between 2006 and 2016 Raines made 65 payments from Seven Corners to her fake business, stealing $2,129,689.86 from her employer.

Raines used the stolen money for her own personal use. For example, in November 2011, Raines used money stolen from her employer to purchase a house in Anderson for over $600,000. In November 2015, Raines used stolen money to purchase "Mardi's Gras Too," a restaurant in Lapel.

"For over a decade, the defendant abused her position of trust to steal millions of dollars from her employer to satisfy her own greed," said United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Zachary A. Myers. "This U.S. Attorney's Office is committed to working with the FBI to ensure that those who commit serious financial crimes face serious criminal punishment. The prison sentence imposed here demonstrates that those who seek to profit from fraud and deceit will pay the price behind federal prison bars."

"The defendant abused her position and took advantage of the trust and confidence placed in her by her employer." said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. "This sentence clearly demonstrates that those who commit fraud will be caught, prosecuted and held accountable."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge, James P. Hanlon.

Judge Hanlon also ordered that Raines be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following her release from federal prison and pay $2.1 million in restitution to her former employer.

Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 765-640-4863.

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