Bremerton couple pleads guilty to identity theft, bank fraud scheme that stole nearly $229K

A Bremerton woman pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft for her role in a scheme that stole nearly $229,000 from banks and their customers.

In April 2025, 34-year-old Emily Vranic and her co-defendant, 37-year-old Heather Marquis, were arrested on a federal complaint, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.

Vranic entered her guilty plea Thursday morning, and Marquis pleaded guilty in May. U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright scheduled sentencing for Sep. 3.

Women used stolen mail, personal information to access bank accounts

Between approximately April 2019 and November 2024, Vranic and Marquis used several methods to steal identities, according to records filed in the case.

The two primarily stole victims’ mail and used personal documents inside to activate credit cards, open lines of credit, or gain wholesale access to online bank accounts.

The co-conspirators would have documents related to their activities mailed to a third-party victim’s address, where they would intercept the mail again. Once Vranic and Marquis had fully taken over a stolen identity, statements and other records would be mailed directly to their personal Bremerton address.

In possession of their victim’s identities, they would rack up credit card debt, make transfers from victim accounts into their own, and use victim accounts to make monthly mortgage payments.

DOJ noted that in one instance, the couple attempted to transfer $35,000 from a victim’s account after a successful transfer of nearly $33,000 from the same account. After the transfer was rejected, the pair repeatedly called the bank posing as the account holder in an attempt to remove the fraud alert.

Restitution, financial penalties still pending

The total amounts stolen will be further proven at the time of sentencing. Vranic agreed to pay restitution to the victims of at least $48,000. Marquis has agreed to pay a forfeiture money judgment of $228,701.

Conspiracy to commit bank fraud is punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Aggravated identity theft is punishable by a mandatory minimum of two years in prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence imposed in the case.

Prosecutors agreed to cap their recommendation for Marquis at four years in prison, and for Vranic, it’s capped at 57 months in prison. DOJ noted Judge Cartwright is not bound by those recommendations and can impose any sentence allowed by law.

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