Charleston, W.Va. (WVDN) – Secretary of State Kris Warner has announced the indictment of a Jefferson County woman for two felony counts of forgery of a public document and one felony count of uttering a forged public document.
The indictment came as a result of allegations made to the WV Secretary of State’s Business Division that Jefferson County resident Dana Marie Phillips fabricated a document in an attempt to open a bank account at a bank located in Berkeley County. The WVSOS Business Division and the WVSOS Investigations Division investigated the allegations and discovered that neither the business nor the document that Phillips attempted to use to open the bank account appeared to be legitimate.
“Our Business Division discovered very quickly that the document the defendant attempted to use appeared to be forged,” said WV Secretary of State Kris Warner. “The accused apparently tried to use information from another company to verify the existence of the company seeking to open the bank account.”
Secretary Warner said that quick action by the bank and the immediate attention by his Business and Investigations Divisions led to a quick indictment by the Jefferson County grand jury. Warner thanked WVSOS Business Division Director Sarah Carey and WVSOS Investigations Director Kim Mason for their work on the case.
Warner also recognized the work of Investigator Andy Sidow of the WV Attorney General’s Office, Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Matt Harvey, and Assistant Prosecutor Neil Zahradnik. The partnership between agencies was instrumental in having a grand jury return a true bill in this case.
“We work closely with the business community and local law enforcement officials to ensure that allegations of business fraud in West Virginia are quickly investigated,” said Secretary Warner. “If someone attempts to cheat, we will catch you and you will be prosecuted.”
The three-count indictment against Dana Marie Phillips can be FOUND HERE.
Indictments by a grand jury are allegations of wrongdoing. Individuals indicted are innocent until proven guilty.
