Federal prosecutors said Lewis took sophisticated steps to perpetrate the years-long scheme and conceal her identity.

She targeted financial institutions that allowed her to apply for loans and submit back-up documentation online so that her image would not be caught on surveillance video. Lewis fabricated a variety of documents to substantiate the loan applications and stolen identities, including paystubs and driver's licenses. She also paid to run detailed credit reports and credit checks on her victims, which gave her access to extensive personal identifiable information, which enabled her to pass some of the security check put in place by the credit unions.

After she became a member of the credit unions using fake IDs, she opened checking and savings accounts and obtained more than 10 loans or lines of credit. Prosecutors said Lewis made more than 20 additional attempts to get loans or lines of credit that failed, however.

Many of the financial institutions were able to identify additional fraudulent applications linked to Lewis through IP address information, email addresses, aliases used and other contact information, federal prosecutors said in court documents.

Her scheme also included creating fake email accounts, purchasing burner phones that were used as the contact numbers on the fraudulent applications, and routing the victims' mail to be forwarded to vacant or abandoned properties.

When Lewis went to a branch to withdraw funds from the fraudulent accounts, she often wore clothing such as hats, glasses, or scarves that obscured her face. She also covered up surveillance cameras with aluminum foil, according to prosecutors.

Lewis sought more than $600,000 in loans and financing, and her actions caused actual losses of $249,858. Lewis used the stolen funds to buy jewelry, clothing, and she gambled away some of the money at a West Virginia casino.