A Bremerton woman at the center of a long-running bank fraud case has formally admitted her role in the scheme, bringing a yearslong investigation into its final stretch.
Emily Vranic, 34, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in a case prosecutors say siphoned nearly $229,000 from banks and customers. Her co-defendant, 37-year-old Heather Marquis, pleaded guilty last month. U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright has set sentencing for Sept. 3, 2026.
How the Scheme Worked
According to prosecutors, between April 2019 and November 2024 the two women ran a mail-based fraud operation that targeted victims’ financial identities. They are accused of stealing victims' mail and using documents inside to activate credit cards, open lines of credit and take over online bank accounts.
Investigators say the pair arranged for statements and other financial records to be routed through third-party addresses, giving them a chance to intercept the mail before it reached the intended recipients. From there, they allegedly funneled the correspondence to a Bremerton address, which prosecutors say allowed them to quietly rack up debt and move money without victims catching on, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Washington.
Money Moved and Restitution
All told, prosecutors say the scheme drained nearly $229,000 from banks and customer accounts. In one example cited by authorities, the pair allegedly transferred nearly $33,000 from a vulnerable victim's account and then tried to move another $35,000 before a bank blocked the second transfer.
As part of the plea resolutions, Vranic has agreed to pay at least $48,000 in restitution, while Marquis has agreed to a forfeiture money judgment of $228,701, according to MyNorthwest.
Guilty Pleas and What Comes Next
Vranic entered her guilty plea Thursday morning. Marquis admitted to the same conspiracy and identity-theft charges in May.
The stakes at sentencing are significant. Conspiracy to commit bank fraud is punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory minimum two-year sentence that must be served consecutively to any other prison time, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Washington.
Prosecutors have recommended sentencing caps of four years for Marquis and 57 months for Vranic, but Judge Cartwright will ultimately decide the punishment. Assistant U.S. Attorney Victoria Cantore is handling the prosecution.
Investigation and Earlier Coverage
The arrests were announced in April 2025 following an investigation involving the Bremerton Police Department, the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, according to reporting by MyNorthwest.
Hoodline previously detailed the case when the pair were first charged in April 2025, outlining the breadth of the alleged scheme and the federal counts they faced in coverage of the original indictment.
