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Identity thief to learn penalty

PITTSBURGH — A Cranberry Township woman federal prosecutors called one half of “the Bonnie and Clyde of counterfeit checks” should learn her fate today.

Thirty-two-year-old Jennifer MacVittie’s sentencing, set for Monday, was continued into today because of delays on Monday.

A federal judge in Pittsburgh last month sentenced her husband, Robert MacVittie, 35, to 34 months in prison for cashing $300,000 worth of counterfeit checks using personal information stolen by peeking over the shoulders of hundreds of Wal-Mart customers.

Prosecutors say Jennifer MacVittie recorded customers in 20 states as they provided Social Security numbers to cash checks. The couple then used that information to create counterfeit checks that Robert MacVittie cashed at other Wal-Mart stores.

The MacVitties pleaded guilty in September to charges of conspiracy and aggravated identity theft in a scheme known as “shoulder surfing.”

The couple stole or attempted to steal the identities of more than 900 people. The fraud started in October 2013, ending when the MacVitties were arrested at a Nevada casino in November 2014.

During Robert MacVittie’s sentencing, he cited a gambling addiction as the reason the couple needed the money.

Jennifer MacVittie’s attorney, Ryan Tutera, calls the “Bonnie and Clyde” description “a little bit over the top.”

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