Atwater woman pleads guilty in federal fraud scheme

A 33-year-old Atwater woman pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to criminal charges in connection with a $200,000 bogus student loan scheme, the U.S. Department of Justice reported.

Sherise L. Woolridge, 33, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and aggravated identity theft for a scheme to obtain student grants and loans, U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner announced in a news release.

According to court documents, Woolridge participated in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Education.

She submitted false financial aid applications to Axia College at the University of Phoenix and Capella University on behalf of students who did not intend to attend either school.

She used stolen or wrongfully obtained personal identifying information for a person who did not know her identity would be used to apply for college financial aid, the Justice Department said.

As a result of the scheme, more than $200,000 in grants and loans were disbursed, authorities said. The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General and prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Mark McKeon.

Woolridge faces up to the 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the mail fraud, as well as a mandatory two-year prison term for the aggravated identity theft, according to the Justice Department.

She is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 3 before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill.

Woolridge is the niece of several defendants in the same scheme who were charged separately in 2012.

Keith Woolridge Sr., 41, of Fresno was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail fraud and aggravated identity theft after a three-day jury trial in 2013.

His sisters, Piersha Dwan Woolridge, 34, of Atwater and Kim Rene Grey, 39, of Los Banos pleaded guilty to the scheme in 2013, as did co-defendant Yvette Maura August, 41, of Atwater.

Keith Woolridge received a three-year prison term, while Grey and August were sentenced to two years each in prison.

Sentencing for Piersha Woolridge is scheduled June 29.

This story was originally published May 4, 2015 at 12:50 PM with the headline "Atwater woman pleads guilty in federal fraud scheme."