Pamela S. Rife, 44, of Lancaster, was charged recently by the U.S. Attorney’s office with altering a check by $100,000 and then cashing it.
According to court records, Rife was the owner and operator of Wheatland Abstract Inc., a title insurance agency located in Akron.
And the check she allegedly altered, according to the indictment, was from Paul-
Allen Enterprises, also known as PAE Properties, which eventually fell into legal troubles of its own.
Investigators said in July 1998, Rife took a check made out in the amount of $31,534, added a one — making it $131,534 — deposited the check into her Lititz bank and then withdrew $131,534,
The information, gathered by the IRS and FBI, was presented to a federal grand jury by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily McKillip and resulted in the recent indictment.
If Rife is convicted of the charges, she could face up to 30 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
According to newspaper records, Wheatland Abstract Inc. suddenly closed its doors in September of 1998.
It was one of several companies that held escrow accounts for PAE Properties, a company that came under investigation by the state Securities Commission.
Rick Seibel, corporate auditor for Northwest Bank, was quoted at the time as saying, “PAE is at the head of the dog, and Wheatland is at the tail.’’
He added that he felt sorry for the companies adversely affected by PAE, whose partners were accused of paying inflated prices for properties and distorting comparative property values.
The partners in PAE, Mickey Weicksel and Barrylee Beers, were both indicted in 2002 on fraud charges, according to newspaper records. Federal investigators accused the pair of getting kickbacks from the property sellers.
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