BEAUMONT, Texas — A Port Arthur woman has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for defrauding an elderly victim out of more than $1.4 million through a wire fraud scheme, the Eastern District of Texas announced Wednesday.

Joanne Schiwart, 28, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on Sept. 10, 2025. In addition to her 10 year prison sentence, Schiwart was ordered to pay $1,464,761.47 in restitution.

According to court records, Schiwart spent a year impersonating an elderly victim to siphon funds from the victim’s retirement accounts. Prosecutors said she called the investment company, used personally identifying information to pose as the account holder, and misled company representatives into wiring money under false pretenses.

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