Three Mississippi women appeared in federal court Friday (Dec. 10) on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

A federal grand jury in Jackson returned an indictment on Sept. 8, 2021, charging Crystal Holliday, 33, Annie J. Blalock, 62, and Ashton Crouthers, 33, all of Union, Mississippi, with carrying out a scheme using wire fraud and identity theft to access bank accounts of several patrons of the Pearl River Resort in Choctaw.

The defendants are charged in a nine-count indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.  They made their initial court appearances Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge F. Keith Ball.

The case is set for trial on Jan. 24, 2022, in U.S. District Court in Jackson. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on Counts 1-5 of the indictment and a possible additional consecutive mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison on Counts 6-9.

The Choctaw Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case.  The Neshoba County Sheriff’s Department and the Union Police Department assisted with the arrests.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin J. Payne is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.