SANTA ANA, California – An employee of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department pleaded guilty today to two felony charges for forging checks and fraudulently using credit cards in her grandmother’s name, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Roxana C. Laub, 33, of Santa Ana, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of identity theft.
In her plea agreement, Laub – whose employment has included work as a uniformed correctional officer at the Orange County jail – admitted that from December 2015 to January 2017, she forged her 75-year-old grandmother’s signature on more than 20 checks from her grandmother’s bank account – making them payable to herself – without her grandmother’s knowledge or permission. Laub then deposited these forged checks totaling approximately $45,000 into her own bank account.
Laub also posed as her grandmother when calling her grandmother’s bank to request information related to her grandmother’s account. After later admitting she was the caller – instead of her grandmother, Laub put her grandmother on the phone, who informed the bank personnel that she was unaware of the checks payable to Laub. After Laub took the phone back and tried to change the subject, the bank personnel asked to speak to Laub’s grandmother again, but Laub then claimed that her grandmother was feeling ill and not available.
From March 2020 to September 2022, Laub also fraudulently used her grandmother’s credit card to charge thousands of dollars for personal expenditures, including meals at restaurants in Santa Ana and West Hollywood, bars in West Hollywood, and a night club in Las Vegas.
Laub then used another one of her grandmother’s bank accounts to make more than $14,000 in payments for bills Laub had run up on those cards, again without her grandmother’s knowledge or permission.
Agents uncovered text messages wherein Laub had admitted to a family member that “I know what I did is unforgiveable,” according to the plea agreement.
Laub, who is on administrative leave from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, has agreed to pay back all the money she unlawfully took from her grandmother.
United States District Judge David O. Carter scheduled an April 9, 2025, sentencing hearing, at which time, Laub will face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for the bank fraud count and up to 15 years in federal prison for the identity theft count.
The FBI and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of the Inspector General investigated this matter. The Long Beach Police Department provided substantial assistance in the investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Charles E. Pell of the Orange County Office is prosecuting the case.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available via the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833 FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Department of Justice Hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professional who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting or connect them with agencies, and provide resources and referrals on a case-by-case basis. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 3 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific Time. English, Spanish and other languages are available. More information about the Department’s elder justice efforts can be found on the Department’s Elder Justice website, www.elderjustice.gov.
