Show-Me State Times

A Kansas City woman has pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in a bank fraud scheme involving a stolen and altered check.

Aviance Shepard, 34, admitted that in March 2023 she obtained a check for $881,324 belonging to another person. The check had been stolen from the United Parcel Service mail stream. Shepard then opened a business account at a local financial institution using the name of the intended payee on the check. On March 27, 2023, she deposited the stolen and altered check into this new account.

According to court documents, Shepard withdrew significant funds before authorities could intervene. On March 28, 2023, she secured five cashier’s checks totaling $320,000 for herself and others and also withdrew $20,000 in cash from the account.

The same day as the deposit, March 27, 2023, the person who issued the check realized it was missing or stolen from a UPS package and requested that payment be stopped. However, by the time the bank processed this request, Shepard had already withdrawn $340,000 through cashier’s checks and cash withdrawals.

Shepard faces up to 30 years in federal prison without parole under federal statutes related to bank fraud. "The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of Shepard will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors," according to information released by authorities. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled following completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen D. Mahoney is prosecuting this case. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation.