Opinion ID: 78628
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Charge against Ms. Ratliff

Text: On May 27, 2008, a criminal complaint was filed against Ms. Ratliff, alleging that from September 2004 through April 2005, she “devised a scheme and artifice to defraud The Bank N.A., McAlester, Oklahoma, . . ., in order to obtain funds under the custody or control of said financial institution by means of false or fraudulent representations.” R., Vol. 1, at 8. The complaint further alleged that she “obtained approximately 10 checks totaling approximately $116,430.84, made payable to Wynn’s Electronics, a business owned by the defendant[’]s employer, Jim Wynn, Inc., and deposited them in the fraudulently established bank account at The Bank N.A., in violation of” 18 U.S.C. § 1344. R., Vol. 1, at 8. The FBI agent making the complaint, Special Agent James A. Dawson, attached an affidavit stating that Ms. Ratliff “exercised complete control over the disbursement of the funds deposited in the aforementioned account at The Bank N.A.” Id. at 10. He further averred that “an additional approximately $378,642.80 in checks . . . were determined to have been cashed by Janice Ratliff at Latimer State Bank and Wilburton State Bank, both of Wilburton, Oklahoma[, and t]he proceeds of these checks remained in the custody and control of Janice Ratliff.” Id. He asserted that a total of “approximately $495,073.64 in checks made payable to Jim Wynn, Inc., was embezzled by Janice Ratliff” between January 2003 and April 2005. Id. -2- On June 11, 2008, the U.S. Attorney filed an information charging Ms. Ratliff only with one count of bank fraud involving $116,430.84 at The Bank, N.A. in McAlester. Id. at 11-12. On June 13, 2008, Ms. Ratliff pled guilty to this charge. R., Vol. 2, at 8, 19. After two hearings, the district court sentenced her to sixty months’ imprisonment, thirty-six months of supervised release, a special assessment of $100.00, and restitution of $484,023.62. Id., Vol. 1, at 88-91, Vol. 2, at 188-90.