Montana woman accused of taking money, identities of in-laws

A federal grand jury has indicted a Montana woman and accused her of using her in-laws' Bismarck bank account and their identities to make a $134,000 payment on a home.

Fifty-six-year-old Carol Feist, of Whitehall, is charged with bank and wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

The indictment states that Feist called the Bismarck bank in October 2021 and claimed to be her mother-in-law, Johanna Feist, and used Johanna and Andrew Feist's bank account information to arrange a $134,000 wire transfer to a title company in Helena, Montana, the Bismarck Tribune reported.

She also is accused of falsely telling the title company that Andrew Feist had signed a deed for the property that was notarized in North Dakota.

Federal court documents do no list an attorney who could speak on her behalf.

Feist was originally charged in Burleigh County with felony theft and unauthorized use of personal identifying information to obtain credit and pleaded not guilty to those counts.

Assistant Burleigh County State's Attorney Justin Schwarz said those charges have been dismissed with the case transferring to federal court.

The federal bank fraud charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine upon conviction. The maximum penalty for wire fraud is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Convictions on the identity theft charges carry mandatory two-year prison terms which must be served after any other prison term, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.