A Sharon woman was sentenced at Thanksgiving time for her role in a bank fraud.

Lynette Frieson, 35, of 250 Orchard St., formerly of Farrell, was sentenced to 8 months' confinement, with the first 4 months in a halfway house and the second 4 months at home with electronic monitoring.

U.S. District Court Judge Donald C. Nugent, Cleveland, also sentenced her to 2 years' supervised release, a $100 special assessment and $117,672 restitution.

She pleaded guilty Aug. 15 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

Ms. Frieson was one of eight people indicted in the case.

Charles R. Harris, 32, of 614 French St., Farrell, and Ms. Frieson hatched a scheme to make counterfeit checks and either cash them or set up accounts in which to deposit them and collect the money later, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Cleveland.

The couple bought a computer and software to make copies of the checks and alter them, and helped others to secure false identification documents so that they could cash the checks at banks in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.

They obtained sample checks from Youngstown State University and existing businesses.

In some cases, documents such as Social Security cards and marriage licenses were bought for as little as $20, and used to get IDs under the false names.

Harris owned the clothing store Chuck and the Whole 9 Yards, which opened in Farrell and later moved to Sharon.

Harris was sentenced Oct. 29 to 27 months in prison, a $200 special assessment, 3 year's supervised release and $117,672 restitution. He pleaded guilty to bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

Barbara J. McGhee, 61, of Brownsville, Pa., pleaded guilty July 8 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. She was sentenced Sept. 18 to 6 months' home confinement, 2è years' supervised released, $100 special assessment and $5,640 restitution.

Lori M. Bryant, 31, of Sharon, formerly of Farrell, pleaded guilty July 29 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and her sentencing, which was set for Thursday, has been continued to Jan. 9.

Phillip "Jiggs" Wells, 30, of 622 Emerson Ave., Farrell, and Joyce Green, 43, of Brownsville, signed pre-plea agreements Aug. 20, allowing pre-sentencing investigations to be conducted. The information will give them an idea what sentence could be imposed under federal guidelines if they change their pleas to guilty. They have been charged with bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

Ms. Green will have a hearing Jan. 23. No hearings have been set in Wells' case.

Craig Ison, 39, formerly of Sharon, is in federal custody after his recent arraignment on charges of bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He is set for trial Jan. 6 before Nugent.

Indicted separately was Devonna Childress, 29, formerly of Farrell. She pleaded guilty April 16, 1999, to a charge of bank fraud and sentenced to 1 day in prison, 3 years' supervised release, $100 special assessment and restitution of $14,419.

Ms. Childress, currently of Shenango Township, was a bank teller at Bank One, Youngstown, and was recruited into the scheme by Harris and Ms. Frieson. She cashed four checks totaling $14,420 for Harris and Ms. Frieson, and received $1,000 of the proceeds.

In April, Judge Peter C. Economus, Youngstown, extended Ms. Childress' supervised release by 1 year because she was not paying restitution.