A Florida woman, Alexis Hodges, was sentenced in the U.S. District Court in Portland for wire fraud. Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. handed down a sentence of 12 months and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Hodges is also required to pay $73,291.33 in restitution to the victim. She had entered a guilty plea on June 28, 2024.
Court records indicate that between November 2019 and October 2021, Hodges misused the bank account of a business in Kennebunk to cover personal expenses for herself and her family members, as well as her own business costs. By providing the account details to various vendors, she caused or attempted to cause over $90,000 to be withdrawn from the account without the victim's consent or knowledge. The unauthorized transactions included payments for rent, insurance policies, and credit card bills.
The fraudulent activity came to light in September 2021 when the victim noticed unauthorized payments and reported them to the Kennebunk Police Department. The case was subsequently referred to the U.S. Secret Service New England Cyber Fraud Task Force for further investigation.
Hodges has a prior conviction from 2011 for identity theft and defrauding a financial institution by accessing customer accounts at her former workplace.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Secret Service with help from the Kennebunk Police Department.