Two charged with 37 felonies in bank fraud operation involving home equity line of credit accounts

Two charged with 37 felonies in bank fraud operation involving home equity line of credit accounts

Oct. 6, 2026 (DENVER) - The statewide grand jury has indicted Stephanie Laugier, 27, and Thierno Barry, 29, for allegedly carrying out an illegal bank fraud scheme that stretched from Colorado's mountain communities to the Denver area during the summer of 2025, Attorney General Phil Weiser announced today.

The alleged fraud scheme followed a particular pattern of activity in Colorado and other states. According to the grand jury indictment, Laugier would travel to several banks or credit unions and use a fraudulent state ID card to falsely present herself to the bank staff as the legitimate account holder of a home equity line of credit. While at the bank, she would then either withdraw thousands of dollars in cash from the account and/or require that a bank check be issued in the name of another person who lived in another state, or in one case a fraudulent business. The bank-issued checks were then overnighted to out-of-state locations where they were cashed or deposited by an out-of-state associate.

Investigators obtained cell phone and rental vehicle evidence which put Barry in the general vicinity of many of the locations where Laugier was committing the bank thefts. The targeted banks were in Arvada, Denver, Dillon, Littleton, Lone Tree, Longmont, and Parker. The aggregate losses in Colorado exceeded $800,000 and attempted losses exceeded $300,000.

Investigators also uncovered evidence that the defendants used victims' personal identifying information to create fraudulent businesses through a public system managed by the Colorado Secretary of State's Office. The fraudulent business filings were made around the same time as the bank thefts and frauds and without the victims' consent.

"This case resulted from a Coloradan reaching out to our office with a report of fraudulent activity, followed by our team getting to work to identify the wrongdoers," said Attorney General Weiser. "I appreciate and commend the law enforcement response in this case, which involved dedicated and effective investigative work to hold accountable those allegedly engaging in bank fraud. The professionalism and effectiveness of their response is ensuring justice for those defrauded and makes clear that those engaging in such conduct and found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt will face serious consequences."

Each of the defendants is charged with two counts of violation of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act (conspiracy and racketeering), both class 2 felonies; four counts of class 4 felony theft; four counts of class 3 felony theft; 11 counts of identity theft, all class 4 felonies; 11 counts of forgery of a government issued document, all class 5 felonies; four counts of criminal attempt to commit theft, all class 4 felonies; and one count of money laundering, a class 3 felony.

The case was filed in Denver District Court on July 31. The indictment was unsealed recently, and the case number is 2026CR15098. Laugier was apprehended and is in custody at the Ouachita Correctional Center in Louisiana. Barry is still at large.

The Attorney General's Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case. The investigation and indictment were made possible by the hard work and dedication of the Dillon-Keystone Police Department, the Denver Police Department, and the Longmont Police Department. The Arvada Police Department, Parker Police Department, and Littleton Police Department also contributed to this matter.

A grand jury indictment is a formal accusation that an individual committed a crime under Colorado laws. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Read the grand jury indictment (PDF).

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Lawrence Pacheco
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