A Weatherly couple has been indicted by a federal grand jury after allegedly defrauding a 93-year-old woman out of more than $1 million.
Christen Lee Cosgrove, 40, and Brian Cosgrove, 37, face 59 charges, including conspiracy, bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering charges, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced Thursday,
Between October 2022 and May 2023, the Cosgroves conspired to defraud financial institutions which had possession of money from an estate and from a 93-year-old individual totaling approximately $1 million, Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus said.
It is further alleged that the Cosgroves used and caused wire transactions to fraudulently obtain the money which they then spent on personal items including a house, recreational vehicle, boat, vacations and paying off personal and business debts. The indictment also alleges that they used the fraudulently obtained money in multiple unlawful monetary transactions.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant US Attorney Jenny P. Roberts is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for bank fraud is 30 years of imprisonment and the maximum penalty under federal law for wire is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment and a fine.