BISMARCK – United States Attorney Nicholas W. Chase announced that Andrea Jo Bonness, age 56, from Mandan, North Dakota, pleaded guilty before United States District Court Judge Daniel L. Hovland to a felony charge of Wire Fraud for stealing from a Mandan non-profit organization while providing accounting services. According to court documents, between April 1, 2025, and February 24, 2026, while employed as an accountant who provided payroll and charitable gaming audit services for non-profit clients, Bonness fraudulently accessed client bank accounts and transferred approximately $304,070.40 to her personal bank account to pay for online gambling. Sentencing in this case is scheduled for January 14, 2027, at 2:30 p.m. in Bismarck before United States District Court Judge Daniel L. Hovland.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan J. O’Konek.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.# # # # # #