Woman Arrested In Bank Fraud Scheme: Hillsborough County Sheriff

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — The prime suspect in a bank fraud scheme was arrested Wednesday after being located and taken into custody in Atlanta, Georgia, according to a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Coretta Bates, 31, was charged with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

HCSO detectives with the assistance of Suncoast Credit Union began a bank fraud investigation in October. A then unknown person, later identified as Bates, was opening accounts using fraudulent North Carolina driver’s licenses.

Once the accounts were open, Bates used them to defraud the bank of more than $165,000, the sheriff’s office said. The scheme’s victims live throughout the southeastern United States.

After local news stories were published searching for the suspect, the sheriff’s office received tips identifying Bates, the sheriff’s office said in a news release earlier this week. Federal warrants were issued for her arrest.

The HCSO Economic Crimes detectives worked with the U.S. Secret Service Tampa field office and the U.S. Attorney’s office during the investigation.