RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Spearfish, South Dakota, woman on seven counts of Wire Fraud.
Janeen Keene, 54 was indicted in January of 2023. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollman on March 3, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 20 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
Between May of 2020 and July of 2020, in Spearfish, Keene, along with others, devised a scheme to fraudulently obtain unemployment benefits.
The charge is merely an accusation and Keene is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson is prosecuting the case.
Keene was detained pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys