Lake Ozark woman pleads guilty in $440K money laundering, bank fraud scheme

Lorraine Jeanette Hess, 51, of Lake Ozark, waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Nanette K. Laughrey this afternoon to a federal information that charges her with bank fraud and money laundering. Hess was employed as a bookkeeper at SSL Enterprises from May 2006 through November 2007. Hess admitted that, primarily between July and October 2007, she made seven unauthorized wire transfers from an SSL Enterprises bank account to her personal bank account. She also admitted that, between August 2006 and October 2007, she created 18 unauthorized checks for which she either forged her employer's name or used a signature stamp. All of the checks were made payable to Hess and she deposited them into her personal bank account. The total loss for this portion of the fraud was approximately $300,536. Posted in: Check Fraud