INQUIRER: Jocelyn S. Kirsch, the former Drexel University student who pleaded guilty to engaging in a bold identity-fraud scam, was sentenced this morning to five years in prison. “This sentence properly punishes the defendant, provides full restitution and protects the public,” said U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno at the close of a two-hour hearing this morning. The judge said the crimes were serious. “There’s no apparent object to these acts other than greed and a desire to fuel a lavish lifestyle,” said Robreno. “A message must be sent out from this sentence that credit card fraud will not pay.”
Robreno also ordered Kirsch, 23, to receive mental-health treatment in prison and to be supervised by probation officials for five years when she is released from prison. He also ordered her to pay just over $100,000 in restitution, minus several thousand dollars already set aside for the repayment. Kirsch, in a voice barely audible, apologized for her actions during the sentencing hearing in federal court in Philadelphia. She showed no visible reaction when the sentence was imposed and was taken from the courtroom in handcuffs. MORE