Sally R. Hansen, 39, formerly of Athol, Idaho, pleaded guilty to 15 counts of wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. The charge stemmed from Hansen’s years as the City Clerk of Athol from 2009 to 2014.

 According to court documents, during the time of her employment, Hansen used the wires and fraudulently took $417,879 from the City of Athol. She did this by writing fraudulent checks to herself and her husband and using the wires to transfer money between different city accounts.

 The maximum penalty for each count is up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release and $100 special assessment. As part of her guilty plea, Hansen agreed to make $417,879.00 in restitution to the City of Athol. The sentencing is set for May 5, 2015, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill.

 The case was investigated by the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department and the United States Secret Service.

 Today's announcement is part of efforts underway by President Obama's Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF), which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices and state and local partners, it’s the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations. Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed more than 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants including more than 2,700 mortgage fraud defendants. For more information on the task force, visit www.stopfraud.gov.