United States Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan announced today, August 10, 2006, that on August 9, 2006, Shirley Hardy of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on charges of Conspiracy, Bank Fraud, and Aggravated Identity Theft.
The four-count superseding indictment named Hardy, age 47, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Hardy is currently incarcerated at Allegheny County Jail on other charges.
According to the superseding indictment presented to the Court, Hardy participated in a scheme in which counterfeit checks were manufactured and passed, using false identification cards, at various grocery stores, financial institutions, and other retail establishments in the Pittsburgh region.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway, who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that the law provides for a maximum total sentence of 67 years in prison, a fine of $2,500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
The Financial Crimes Task Force of Southwestern Pennsylvania conducted the investigation leading to the superseding indictment in this case. The Financial Crimes Task Force of Southwestern Pennsylvania is comprised of United States Postal Inspectors, Special Agents of the United States Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Investigators from the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office, and Detectives from Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
