Date: July 27, 2023 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov A Glendive woman convicted of stealing more than $119,000 from an elderly man whose finances she managed was sentenced today to three years and four months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. Gina Larae Mann, aka Gina Larae Neva pleaded guilty in October 2022 to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering. U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. The court also ordered $119,269 restitution. "Mann preyed upon a recently widowed victim instead of helping him. Even worse, she helped herself by spending his money for her own benefit. Mann's conduct destroyed the financial security, good credit, and peace of mind of an elderly man who trusted her. Our office will continue to hold accountable those who exploit the most vulnerable among us and I applaud Assistant U.S. Attorney Karla E. Painter and the IRS Criminal Investigation for investigating and prosecuting this case," U.S. Attorney Laslovich said. "Ms. Mann abused the trust of a vulnerable man for her financial gain. Now she will pay for her crimes by serving a federal prison sentence where she will not be able to take advantage of anyone else," said Andy Tsui, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation Denver Field Office. "As a community, it is our responsibility to care for our elders. As a law enforcement community, it is our duty to hold individuals accountable who abuse their position of trust and steal from the people that are under their care." The government alleged in court documents that Mann offered to help the victim, a recently widowed elderly man who was familiar with Mann and trusted her with his taxes and bookkeeping. After gaining control of the victim's bank account, Mann stole more than $119,000 through various methods, including taking money directly from the victim and opening several lines of credit in his name without his knowledge. The scheme caused the victim financial ruin and destroyed his credit. In a statement provided to the court, the victim said of Mann's conduct, "She ruined my life and I will live with it for the rest of my life, trying to fix the mess she has created." Mann's scheme began in early 2018 and continued until late 2019 when the victim discovered the fraud after receiving overdraft notices from a credit union. When interviewed, Mann told federal agents that the victim wanted to be a partner in her business and claimed she used ATM cash advances from a credit card to pay for her business location, car payments and insurance. Neither statement was true. The victim was not aware of and did not authorize any of Mann's withdrawals or credit card transactions. The government further alleged that Mann transferred funds directly to her business and her own account, sent thousands of dollars to her husband and withdrew more than $1,000 at a casino and liquor store in Billings. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karla E. Painter prosecuted the case. The IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation.
