Kanawha County Woman Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Kelli Rucker, also known as "Kelli Engler," 48, of Nitro, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, to wire fraud.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Rucker was hired by the West Virginia Division of Labor as an Administrative Services Manager I in 2020 and assigned three state purchasing credit cards. From 2022 through February 2023, Rucker fraudulently made unauthorized purchases with the three cards that resulted in losses totaling $18,472.75 to the State of West Virginia. As part of her guilty plea, Rucker admitted that she knew she was not permitted to make personal purchases with the state issued card and that she electronically paid personal expenses including gas and electric bills, hospital expenses and cable television bills as part of her fraudulent scheme. Rucker further admitted that her fraudulent use of the cards included a $2,200 charge transmitted electronically on January 28, 2023.

Rucker is scheduled to be sentenced on May 19, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Rucker also owes $18,472.75 in restitution.

Rucker has a criminal history that includes prior convictions for access device fraud on October 13, 2010, and failure to appear on October 11, 2016, both in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the West Virginia Commission in Special Investigations and the assistance provided by the West Virginia Division of Labor.

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACERLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-176.

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