Hubbard woman to serve over 3 years in federal prison for bank fraud 

CEDAR RAPIDS - A Hubbard woman who forged court documents for a bank loan and a fraudulent letter from a U.S. Department of Justice official was sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison Monday.

Stephanie Drake, formerly Stephanie Drake-Zierke, 51, pleaded guilty in July to one count of bank fraud and one count of unlawful manufacture and possession of a U.S. Department of Justice seal.

According to plea agreement, Drake admitted she received a bank loan by falsely claiming that her husband had been awarded a legal settlement for $2.2 million between March 2009 and September 2012. Drake also admitted she gave the bank a fabricated document of a court order for the legal settlement.

During the hearing, Drake also admitted she presented falsified loan paperwork to the bank, which indicated her husband's parents had agreed to guarantee a loan of up to $162,600. The bank loaned her at least $483,513 between May 2008 and September 2012.

U.S. District Chief Judge Linda Reade sentenced Drake to 41 months in prison on the bank fraud charge and an additional consecutive term of six months for the unlawful manufacture and possession of the government seal for a total of 47 months.

Drake was also ordered to pay $708,218 in restitution to the bank and other victims. She also will serve a five-year term of supervised release after her prison time.