ERIE — Two Erie residents were convicted in separate cases in federal court on Tuesday. In one case, the charges stemmed from fraudulent tax filing as a freelancer and in the second case, charges were derived from a violation of the straw purchase laws.
In the first case, Senior United States District Judge David S. Cercone imposed the sentence on Erika A. Grandberry, 47. She has been sentenced in federal court to three months in jail and ordered to pay $66,789 in restitution on her conviction of violating federal tax laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced.
According to information presented to the court, Grandberry, while working as a freelance tax preparer, knowingly and repeatedly reported false and fraudulent income and expenses for nonexistent businesses on Individual Tax Returns from 2015 to 2017.
Assistant United States Attorney Paul S. Sellers prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal
Investigation Division for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Grandberry.
In the second case, Senior United States District Judge David S. Cercone imposed the sentence on Kathryn Nicole Shaw, 25. She has been sentenced in federal court to one year probation on her conviction of violating federal firearms laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced.
According to information presented to the court, from March 9, 2020, to July 21, 2020, Shaw conspired with two co-defendants to violate federal straw purchase laws and acquired firearms for a co-defendant who was prohibited from possessing firearms based on prior criminal convictions.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. Aspart of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Assistant United States Attorney Paul S. Sellers prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the Pennsylvania State Police, Conewango Police
Department, and Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Shaw.
