An Arkansas woman has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for defrauding elderly customers at a New Hampshire credit union. Tyra Brown, aged 27 from Benton, Arkansas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian S. Miller at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Brown will also serve three years of supervised release following her prison term.
On January 23, 2025, Brown pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack stated, “The defendant deliberately abused her position of trust and chose to target elderly account holders, knowing some of whom were unfamiliar with electronic banking.” He stressed the continued efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement to protect citizens from such fraudulent acts.
James Crowley, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division, commented, “Tyra Brown had no compunction about swindling elderly victims out of their hard-earned money. What she did isn’t just cowardly, it’s cruel." He reaffirmed the FBI's commitment to combating elder fraud schemes.
During her time as a customer service representative at the credit union, Brown had access to sensitive customer information meant solely for business purposes. She exploited this access to steal $301,674.89 from at least 10 victims, with an attempted theft total of $428,526.85. Brown used wires, electronic debits, and Zelle to transfer funds from the victims’ accounts.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation in New Hampshire conducted the investigation, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander S. Chen from the District of New Hampshire and Katie Hinojosa from the Eastern District of Arkansas.