An Orange County Sheriff's Department employee, Roxana C. Laub, aged 33 from Santa Ana, has pleaded guilty to bank fraud and identity theft charges. Laub admitted to forging over 20 checks from her 75-year-old grandmother’s bank account between December 2015 and January 2017, referencing a plea agreement. She made the checks payable to herself and deposited approximately $45,000 into her bank account without her grandmother's consent.
Laub also posed as her grandmother during phone interactions to access her bank account information. She later admitted to being the caller and attempted to mislead bank personnel about her grandmother’s involvement. Additionally, from March 2020 to September 2022, Laub used her grandmother’s credit card to fund personal expenses amounting to thousands of dollars spent in various establishments, including restaurants and nightclubs. Laub paid over $14,000 in bills on these cards using funds from another of her grandmother's bank accounts.
Text messages obtained by agents showed Laub acknowledging her wrongdoing to a family member, saying, "I know what I did is unforgiveable." She has agreed to reimburse the money taken from her grandmother and is currently on administrative leave.
Her sentencing hearing is set for April 9, 2025, before United States District Judge David O. Carter. Laub could face up to 30 years in federal prison for bank fraud and 15 years for identity theft.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of the Inspector General, with significant assistance from the Long Beach Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Charles E. Pell from the Orange County Office.
The Department of Justice encourages victims of financial fraud, particularly those aged 60 and older, to seek help through the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833 FRAUD-11. This service provides personalized support and resources seven days a week.
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