Sutherland woman uses family member's information for student loans, gets probation

SUTHERLAND, Neb. -- A Sutherland woman was sentenced to one year of probation for trafficking in a password or similar information. 

The Acting U.S. Attorney said that 21-year-old Lacie Brown was sentenced to one year of probation for trafficking in a password or other similar information. There is no parole in the federal system. 

Court documents said that on July 21, 2021, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Police Department had gotten a complaint concerning student loan fraud. 

The victim had reported that he had been contacted by a loan services company after a third loan attempt was denied. He said that he was unaware of the first two loans, that had already been dispersed. 

The victim was told about all three of the incidents where he was marked as a co-signer and the primary signer was Brown. 

The investigation that followed found that Brown had used the victim's Social Security Number and date of birth on the student loan applications listing the victim as a co-signer, and she had created a login on his behalf as well as signing on his behalf. 

Court documents said that the victim is a relative of Brown's, and there was no evidence that showed the victim's information had been illegally acquired by Brown. 

The case was investigated by the UNL-PD and the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office.