Woman gets 6-year sentence for fraud scheme

Highway program bilked for $125K using fake telecommuters

A Houston woman was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison for a complex scheme in which she defrauded thousands of dollars from a federal highway program aimed at reducing traffic congestion and air pollution.

Shonda Renee Stubblefield, 45, could have received up to 20 years during sentencing before U.S. Judge Alfred Bennett in a case in which she invented hundreds of fictitious employees telecommuting to fake jobs. A jury convicted her in February on all the counts in her indictment — theft of public money, mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft.

According to testimony at her trial, Stubblefield owned World Corporation Inc. Through her business, she stole $125,659.90 from the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, which is funded by the Federal Highway Administration.

The scheme relied on at least 500 fake identities she created for employees who she said were telecommuting to jobs and relieving the highways of traffic. Witnesses said Stubblefield told Houston Galveston Area Council those employees worked at her company through a telecommuting program designed to reduce air-pollution. They said Stubblefield made fake bank records, fake income and earnings statements, false employee timesheets and invoices.

Her make believe employees all had names, addresses and email accounts, witnesses said.

The defense argued at trial that Stubblefield did not oversee the criminal activity alleged, according to a news release by the U.S. Attorney following the verdict. The federal public defender’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Stubblefield has been in federal custody since her conviction.