A federal grand jury returned a seven-count indictment charging Monique Marie Gonzales Grado, 31, of Sacramento, with five counts of bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California announced on Friday.
According to court documents, Gonzales Grado allegedly used another person’s identity to fraudulently obtain a car loan to purchase a Jaguar and a personal loan for purported medical expenses. Additionally, Gonzales Grado deposited two stolen checks into a credit union account associated with those loans.
The checks had been altered to list the identity theft victim’s name as the payee, enabling Gonzales Grado to access the funds, the U.S. attorney’s office explained. In a separate incident, Gonzales Grado allegedly deposited another stolen check—this one altered to list her own name—into a different bank account she had opened in her own name.
If convicted, Gonzales Grado faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for each of the five bank fraud charges, in addition to a mandatory two-year consecutive sentence for each of the aggravated identity theft charges.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized that any sentence will ultimately be determined by the court, considering applicable statutory factors and federal sentencing guidelines. Gonzales Grado is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
