JEFFERSON COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Jefferson County woman has been indicted on multiple felony charges for allegedly forging a public document in an attempt to open a fraudulent bank account.
West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner announced that Dana Marie Phillips faces two felony counts of forgery of a public document and one felony count of uttering a forged public document.
The charges stem from a complaint submitted to the Secretary of State’s Business Division. Investigators say Phillips fabricated a business document to open an account at a Berkeley County bank. A joint investigation by the WVSOS Business and Investigations Divisions revealed that neither the company nor the documentation she used appeared to be legitimate.
“Our team quickly determined the document was fake,” said Secretary Warner. “It appears the accused tried to pass off information from another company as her own in order to deceive the bank.”
Warner credited swift action by the bank and rapid coordination between state agencies for leading to a prompt indictment by a Jefferson County grand jury. He extended thanks to Business Division Director Sarah Carey, Investigations Director Kim Mason, and WV Attorney General’s Office Investigator Andy Sidow, as well as Prosecuting Attorney Matt Harvey and Assistant Prosecutor Neil Zahradnik.
“We take business fraud seriously in West Virginia,” Warner said. “If you try to cheat the system, we will catch you — and you will be prosecuted.”
The indictment against Phillips includes three felony charges. As with all indictments, they represent allegations of wrongdoing, and Phillips is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
