Woman stole her in-law’s life savings for down payment on a home in Montana, feds say

A Montana woman depleted her in-law’s life savings — then used the money for a down payment on a home, according to federal authorities.

Now Carol Ann Feist, 57, has been sentenced to 65 months in prison and three years of supervised release, records show. Her defense attorney declined to comment on the case.

Days before prosecutors say Feist stole $134,000 from a North Dakota bank account belonging to her mother-in-law and father-in-law, authorities said she closed on a $474,000 home in Whitehall, Montana.

While closing on the home on Oct. 22, 2021, she listed her father-in-law as a co-borrower, according to the government’s sentencing memorandum filed in the District of North Dakota. Her father-in-law was in hospice care at the time, but he has since died.

Three days later, Feist gave the title company real estate closing documents with a forged signature for her father-in-law and a fake North Dakota notary stamp, prosecutors said.

Four days after she closed on the home, on Oct. 26, authorities said Feist called the bank while pretending to be her mother-in-law.

During that call, she tricked the customer service representative into transferring $134,000 from the checking account to a Montana title company, according to an April 13 news release. That money was then used as Feist’s down payment.

Investigators learned that Feist also used other people’s credit cards, stole from an entertainment store and created fake letters, according to the sentencing memorandum.

Feist pleaded guilty to charges of bank fraud and aggravated identify theft in November 2022, records show.

In addition to time in prison, Feist is ordered to pay $134,000 in restitution.

Whitehall is in southwest Montana.

This story was originally published April 14, 2023 at 7:59 AM with the headline "Woman stole her in-law’s life savings for down payment on a home in Montana, feds say."