Former OSMRE Employee Convicted of Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft

In a joint investigation with the U.S. Department of Education OIG, we investigated allegations of suspected bank fraud and identity theft after discovering evidence that Sharon Hall obtained fraudulent student loans while employed as a surface mine specialist for the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) in London, KY.We found that Hall committed bank fraud and identity theft when she obtained nine student loans totaling more than $93,000 in the names of relatives using false representations and pretenses. She subsequently retired from the OSMRE.On January 12, 2018, the Federal District Court in the Eastern District of Kentucky convicted Hall of 11 counts of 18 U.S.C. § 1344 (Bank Fraud) and 1 count of 18 U.S.C. § 1028 (Aggravated Identity Theft). She was sentenced to 36 months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $128,273.54 in restitution.This is a summary of an investigative report we issued to the OSMRE Deputy Director.