Source: Office of United States Attorneys
ALBUQUERQUE – Two Chimayo women pleaded guilty in federal court to a theft in Indian Country and a bank fraud scheme targeting multiple financial institutions across Sandoval, Santa Fe, and Rio Arriba Counties.
According to court documents, on May 22, 2022, shortly after 4:00 AM, Billie Jo Gussler and Angelica Dominguez entered the Valero gas station located on Tesuque Pueblo and stole property valued at over $1,000, including lottery tickets and cigarettes. Neither Gussler nor Dominguez is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe.
Furthermore, between January 6, 2020, and August 19, 2022, Gussler and Dominguez engaged in an extensive bank fraud scheme across Sandoval, Santa Fe, and Rio Arriba Counties. The pair targeted multiple federally insured financial institutions, including Del Norte Credit Union, Bank of America, U.S. Bank, Century Bank, Enterprise Bank and Trust, Washington Federal Bank, and SoFi Bank.
The fraudulent activities involved altering and forging checks to withdraw funds unlawfully from account holders and financial institutions.
Gussler and Dominguez will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. At sentencing, Gussler and Dominguez each face up to 30 years imprisonment. Upon their release from prison, Gussler and Dominguez will be subject to up to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez made the announcement today.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated the theft case with assistance from the Tesuque Tribal Police and Quay County Sheriff’s Office. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the fraud case with the assistance of the Santa Fe Police Department, Espanola Police Department, and New Mexico State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Meg Tomlinson and Maria Stiteler are prosecuting the cases.
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