A Sharon woman, whose cooperation in the investigation of a bank fraud case led to the acquisition of key evidence, has been sentenced to probation and restitution.

Lori M. Bryant Prince, 32, of 320 Sterling Ave., Sharon, formerly of Farrell, was sentenced Thursday to 5 years' probation, a $100 special assessment and $14,505 in restitution to two banks by U.S. District Court Judge Donald C. Nugent, according to a staff member.

Ms. Prince, who claimed Thursday that she has been born again, pleaded guilty July 29 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and the U.S. Attorney's Office agreed to withdraw a charge of bank fraud, which it did Thursday.

Using a false identification, Ms. Prince cashed five checks for $2,000 each at banks in Champion, Ohio, and Youngstown, according to prosecutors.

She was arrested in May 1998 while trying to cash a check in western Pennsylvania for Charles R. Harris and Lynette Frieson, prosecutors said.

Using information from her, authorities were able to obtain search warrants for the former home of Harris and Frieson in Farrell, Harris' former clothing store, Chuck and the Whole 9 Yards, in Sharon, and another site.

Ms. Prince's cooperation with authorities was factored into her sentence, said U.S. Attorney James V. Moroney.

In his guilty plea, Harris admitted helping Ms. Prince get the false ID and driving her to the banks, prosecutors said.

Harris and Ms. Frieson were the ringleaders of the bank fraud scheme, which resulted in eight federal indictments.

They made counterfeit checks on a computer and either cashed them or set up bank accounts in which to deposit them and collect the money later.

The couple also helped others get false identification documents so they could cash checks at banks in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.

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

Ms. Frieson, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, was sentenced at Thanksgiving time to 8 months' confinement, with the first 4 months in a halfway house and the rest at home with electronic monitoring. She also faces 2 years' supervised release, a $100 special assessment and $117,672 in restitution.

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

Devonna Childress, 29, of Shenango Township, formerly of Farrell, pleaded guilty in a separate indictment to bank fraud. She was sentenced to 1 day in prison, 3 years' supervised release, a $100 special assessment and $14,419 in restitution. In April, Judge Peter C. Economus, Youngstown, extended her supervised release by 1 year for failing to pay restitution.

Joyce Green, 43, of Brownsville, signed a pre-plea agreement Aug. 20, allowing a pre-sentencing investigation to be conducted. She is scheduled to change her plea and be sentenced at 10 a.m. Jan. 23 before Nugent. She is charged with bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

The cases of two others facing the same charges -- Phillip "Jiggs" Wells, 30, of 622 Emerson Ave., Farrell, and Craig Ison, 30, formerly of Sharon -- are pending. They both signed pre-plea agreements and pre-sentencing investigations are being conducted, Moroney said.