Montana Woman Sentenced in $573K Fraud

Stephanie Michele Nipp
Stephanie Michele Nipp
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Red Lake County ( trfnews.i234.me ) – A Montana woman has been sentenced after a fraud scheme that stole more than $573,000 from a local cooperative.Stephanie Michele Nipp, 56, of Great Falls, Montana, received her sentence in Red Lake County District Court on Wednesday, August 27. Nipp was charged with felony theft by swindling after wire transfers from Red Lake County Cooperative Inc. were fraudulently redirected to a bank account in Montana.Court records show she entered an Alford plea in July, acknowledging that evidence could lead to a conviction while not admitting guilt. A felony charge of receiving stolen property was dismissed.

Judge Anne Rasmusson sentenced Nipp to 42 months in prison, stayed for five years. She must also serve 290 days in jail, with credit for 192 days already served. Nipp was granted work release and Sentence to Serve privileges. In addition, she must complete 40 hours of community service within a year.

Nipp will remain on supervised probation for five years. She cannot contact victims or cooperative officials and must avoid firearms, ammunition, and explosives. She must also provide a DNA sample and pay $210 in fees, plus restitution of $573,818.75.

The case began in July 2024 when cooperative officials thought they were paying a contractor after receiving fraudulent email instructions. The money was wired to a Bravera Bank account opened by Nipp under a fake business name. Investigators say she later withdrew funds and made personal purchases before the account was closed.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and Red Lake County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation. The fraud was uncovered after the real contractor questioned the missing payment, leading to the discovery of the scheme. Learn more about fraud cases here.

I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.

Stephanie Michele Nipp
Stephanie Michele Nipp
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