A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, has indicted Crystal Whitaker, a former paralegal, on multiple charges including wire fraud, tax evasion, and aggravated identity theft. The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Lesley Allison of the Pittsburgh Division, and Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd of the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation unit in Cincinnati.
Whitaker, 44, who currently resides in Somerset, is accused of committing these offenses between March 30, 2020, and March 3, 2025. The indictment alleges that while working as a paralegal for attorney J.R.S. at the law firm SLG., Whitaker added herself to the firm's bank accounts by concealing J.R.S.'s death. She then allegedly withdrew funds for unauthorized personal use and filed a false tax return for 2020 without reporting all her income or embezzled funds. Furthermore, she did not file tax returns for the years 2021 and 2022.
On March 6, Whitaker appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. If convicted on all counts, she faces a mandatory minimum sentence of two years and could receive up to 177 years in prison. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge after reviewing sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is under investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Ansari is handling prosecution duties.
The announcement reminds that an indictment is merely an allegation and that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
There is no parole available within the federal system.