Indiana woman pleads guilty to wire fraud for her role in a six-year scheme that targeted an elderly victim and caused financial harm
Shayna Williams, 51, of Westfield, was involved in a crash with an elderly woman. Over the six years following the accident, Williams defrauded the victim and her friends of $672,086 by repeatedly lying about the injuries, medical conditions and other expenses they claimed were caused by the crash.
Williams falsely claimed that her daughter suffered a serious back injury in the accident that required expensive surgery and specialized medical equipment, including a walker and a home elevator. She also claimed that she and other family members were undergoing expensive treatment and were burdened with huge medical bills.
To further the scheme, Williams sent text messages to victims posing as insurance agents who were allegedly negotiating with hospitals over alleged medical bills. The messages falsely promised that if the victim paid Williams’ expenses, the insurance company would reimburse her. Williams also took steps to hide her phone number to make the impersonation more convincing.
The financial impact on victims is severe. Victims took out personal loans, worked as food delivery drivers, obtained second mortgages on their homes and borrowed money from friends to pay fraudulent bills. In total, the victims paid Williams more than $500,000. Despite knowing the victim was in significant debt, Williams continued to request additional funds and used the money for personal expenses, including restaurants, travel and gambling.
The case was investigated by the FBI Indianapolis and Carmel Police Department. U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Buck will sentence Williams at a later date.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Ekman and Meredith Wood, who are prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana
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