Woman Stole Parents' IDs To Pay For Surgery
PITTSBURGH (AP) - A Butler County woman has been sentenced to prison for stealing her parents' identities so she could fraudulently obtain $729,000 in student loans - much of which she used to pay for plastic surgery.
Thirty-six-year-old Meredith Shuster's lawyer argued that the Cranberry woman has "body dysmorphic disorder" which compulsively drives her to have surgery to change her appearance. The lawyer says nearly half the money Shuster stole was used for such surgeries.
A federal judge ordered Shuster to spend 15 months in federal prison and repay nearly $633,000 still outstanding on the loans.
Federal prosecutors say Shuster spent the money on other personal things not related to the surgeries, and victimized other students whose parents who are struggling to fund their college educations.
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