MADISON, Wis. — A Missouri woman is now the fourth person sentenced in connection to a nationwide fraud scheme.
According to a news release, Heather Bishop, 31, was sentenced Thursday to 30 months in federal prison for conspiring with at least three other people to commit wire fraud throughout the country. The release said Bishop was ordered to pay restitution to Walmart in an amount to be determined after a hearing on Jan. 11, 2021.
Officials said Bishop and others conspired to defraud Walmart between February 2017 and March 2018 through the use of stolen personal checks, identity fraud and methods to bypass electronic check authorization measures, resulting in a loss of over $860,000 to Walmart.
The release said the group used stolen identification cards of real people to perpetuate the fraud in 18 states, including in Wisconsin.
Two conspirators were arrested by Monona police on Feb. 25, 2018, after Walmart employees became suspicious of their behavior. Those two people were sentenced to 48 months in federal prison 2018 after pleading guilty for their roles in the scheme.
Bishop and two other conspirators were charged and arrested last December.
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