Hudson Falls woman sentenced for bank fraud

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - On Wednesday, a Hudson Falls woman was sentenced to 30 months in prison for two counts of bank fraud dating back to 2019. Renee Burnell, 49, was sentenced after being found guilty of using the personal information of current or former customers of a plumbing and heating business she ran.

Previously, Burnell pled guilty to counts of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft for actions during 2019 and 2020. She admitted to having applied for lines of credit at Synchrony Bank and The Bank of Missouri using the personal information of her customers. She then used those lines of credit to make and falsify purchases for her business.

The actions resulted in a loss of $119,264.43 to The Bank of Missouri. Synchrony Bank lost $13,912. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

Full restitution to both banks was ordered by U.S. District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn. Burnell is to undergo a 3-year supervised release period after being released from prison.