Woman changes plea to guilty for role in fraud scheme spanning 21 states

HAMMOND | An Indianapolis woman accused of working with a national identity theft ring allegedly led by a Gary native changed her plea to guilty Monday.

Diontria Frazier, 28, entered a guilty plea to conspiring to commit identity theft and credit card and bank fraud as part of a plea agreement with the government. She could face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

In the ruse, Frazier and others would get victims' bank account information and place themselves as authorized users on those accounts, according to court records. These account takeovers allowed Frazier to cash checks and use credit cards in Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Georgia, depleting people of thousands of dollars over three years.

According to court records, at least seven others are accused of partaking in the scheme, committing crimes in at least 21 states. In March 2009 alone, she and others allegedly made more than $10,000 worth of purchases on one victim's Chase credit card.

Frazier, who also went by Katrina D. Thompson, entered into a plea deal earlier this month, agreeing to pay full restitution for no more than $60,000 in losses. She also waived her right to appeal and agreed to turn over all the fake licenses and other contraband connected with the crimes. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to give Frazier credit for accepting responsibility, which could knock some time off her sentence.