MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Sarah Anne Tischer, 43, Amery, Wisconsin was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 18 months in federal prison for wire fraud. Tischer’s term of imprisonment is to be followed by a three-year period of supervised release. Judge Peterson also ordered Tischer to pay $526,416 in restitution. Tischer pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud on November 4, 2022.
In June 2017, Tischer established a special needs trust for a beneficiary who suffered from severe medical and developmental disabilities. As trustee, Tischer had full discretion to make payments from the trust on behalf of the beneficiary. Tischer regularly withdrew money from the investment account and deposited the funds into various bank accounts. Once in these accounts, Tischer spent the money and documented the expenditures in the trust’s ledger.