South Carolina Woman Sentenced to Two Years for Aggravated Identity Theft in West Virginia: Withdrew $37,645, Ordered to Pay $47,010 in Restitution
Huntington, Cabell County, West Virginia — Della Palestino, 60, of Lexington, South Carolina, was sentenced on October 26 in Huntington to two years in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay $47,010 in restitution for aggravated identity theft, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia announced.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between August 2024 and September 2026, Palestino visited four financial institutions in the Southern District of West Virginia and used another individual's personal identifying information, including a forged signature, to access that individual's bank account without authorization. She withdrew $2,125 in Huntington, $21,920 in Spencer, $4,200 in Charleston, and $9,400 in Gilbert. As part of her guilty plea, Palestino admitted that she conducted all four fraudulent transactions and withdrew a total of $37,645 from the bank accounts of the four individuals. She further admitted that she used a counterfeit passport card during one of the fraudulent withdrawals.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service, the West Virginia State Police, the Huntington Police Department, the Charleston Police Department, and the Gilbert Police Department, and the assistance provided by the West Virginia Fusion Center. United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence, and Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer D. Gordon prosecuted the case. The case number is 3:25-cr-118.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 照片：西弗吉尼亚州 Huntington 的卡贝尔县法院（Carol M. Highsmith 摄，美国国会图书馆 Highsmith 档案，公共领域，资料图）
