An Ohio woman who helped an accomplice create fake letters of credit (L/Cs) to try to defraud a truck leasing company out of more than US$1 million worth of trucks and trailers has been jailed.

Alfreda Watts has been sentenced to one year in prison and ordered to pay a US$750,000 fine.

Bank employee

Watts, a former worker at FirstMerit Bank, had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and mail fraud.

A US court heard that she used her position at the bank to help Stanley Dickens in a scheme to defraud truck leasing company AIM National Lease.

Bogus L/Cs

Prosecutors said that in 2001 Watts helped Dickens obtain FirstMerit letterheads and stationery, which he then used to create bogus L/Cs that were given to the leasing company.

The court heard that Watts also used her position at the bank to send and fax L/Cs to AIM National Lease and phoned the company posing as a bank official.

Dickens was sentenced last year to two years in prison.

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