Ossian Woman Gets Five Year Sentence in Fraud Case
Ossian Woman Gets Five Year Sentence in Fraud Case
FORT WAYNE, Ind. A 63 year old Ossian woman has been sentenced to five years in behind bars after admitting her role in a large scale fraud and money laundering operation that targeted businesses and individuals across multiple states.
Janis A Sexton was sentenced on March 18 2026 by Chief US District Judge Holly A Brady after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. In addition to her prison term Sexton will serve three years of supervised release and must pay nearly 1.68 million dollars in restitution to victims.
According to court documents Sexton helped carry out a sophisticated scheme from December 2020 through August 2022. She created four shell companies and opened multiple bank accounts used to receive and move illegal funds. Authorities say the operation attempted to steal more than 4 million dollars and successfully obtained over 2 million dollars.
Investigators said Sexton and her co conspirators used business email compromise schemes to deceive victims. In these scams criminals gain access to legitimate business email accounts and send messages that appear real. Victims believed they were paying vendors or partners but instead sent money to accounts controlled by Sexton.
After receiving the money Sexton moved it through various accounts and sent funds to an overseas accomplice sometimes converting it into cryptocurrency to hide its origin.
Federal authorities credited the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Stamford Connecticut Police Department for uncovering the scheme. Prosecutors said that despite efforts to conceal the activity investigators were able to trace the money and build a case that led to the conviction.
