Woman guilty in ID theft that ensnared Bernanke

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A doctors' receptionist has admitted to stealing bank account information from patients as part of an identity theft ring that ensnared Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as a victim.

Thirty-six-year-old Makieta Leake of Prince Frederick, Md., pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud Tuesday in federal court in Alexandria.

She is the fifth person to plead guilty in a scheme that prosecutors say resulted in more than $2 million in losses at 10 different banks.

Leake admitted she stole information from 37 patients. She was paid between $200 and $500 for each victim's account information.

Prosecutors say that about 40 percent of the losses in the scheme can be traced back to Leake.
AP