Seattle – Amber Towndrow, 36, has been sentenced to six years in prison for her role in a $1.4 million bank fraud scheme. The sentencing took place in U.S. District Court in Seattle, where Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced the outcome.
Towndrow was indicted alongside Darby Canfield, 35, in April 2024. During the hearing, U.S. District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead remarked on the complexity of the crime: “This was not a simple crime of desperation, this was a sophisticated nationwide fraud…. It was not a momentary loss in judgement.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Miller highlighted Towndrow’s significant involvement: “This defendant was a primary actor for the operation,” she said. “She successfully impersonated her victims – indeed she memorized all the details of their lives.”
The fraudulent activities involved using stolen personal information and fake IDs to open business bank accounts linked to victims’ personal accounts across several states including Washington, Colorado, Pennsylvania, California, New Jersey, Indiana, and Washington D.C.
In one instance detailed by court records, Towndrow defrauded an Illinois victim by registering a company in Colorado under their name and transferring $131,709 from their account to a business account opened at a Chase branch in Seattle.
Towndrow admitted to opening at least 50 business bank accounts and attempting to obtain $1.4 million through these schemes; she successfully obtained $664,000.
Assistant United States Attorney Sean Waite emphasized the lasting impact on victims: “For some victims, the impact may last a lifetime,” he wrote to the court.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Seattle Police Department.
