CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Kanawha County woman was sentenced Tuesday to spend nine months in prison for wire fraud.
U.S. Attorneys said Kelli Rucker, 48, of Nitro, worked for the West Virginia Division of Labor as an administrative services manager from 2020 to 2023. She reportedly misused three state purchasing credit cards. charging unauthorized transactions to the cards totaling $18,472.75. According to U.S. Attorneys, Rucker pleaded guilty to using the money from the cards to pay personal and hospital expenses.
Rucker was previously convicted on access device fraud charges in October 2010 and failure to appear in October 2016, per U.S. Attorneys.
“Fraud — of any size and in any form — will be met with decisive action,” U.S. Attorney Moore Capito said. “Every scam, from minor schemes to large scale operations, drains America’s taxpayers, stealing an estimated $233 billion to $521 billion from the federal government each year. That is unacceptable.”
“Our office is fully committed to a coordinated, government-wide effort to combat fraud, and we will hold accountable anyone who steals from hardworking Americans,” Capito continued. “We urge every agency, partner, and citizen to stay vigilant, report suspicious activity, and join us in protecting taxpayer dollars.”
As part of her sentence, Rucker will serve three years of supervised release following her nine months in prison. She’ll also have to pay $18,472.75 in restitution.