Area business owner faces new bank fraud charges

A Kansas City area woman who was indicted last year on federal bank fraud charges has been indicted again on charges of committing financial crimes while awaiting trial.

U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said Thursday that a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Brenda Wood, 47, of Leavenworth. The 16-count indictment involved eight counts of bank fraud, seven counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of committing a felony while on pretrial release in a federal case.

Wood, who owned several businesses, was indicted last August on 10 counts — five counts of bank fraud, one count of theft from an employee benefit program and four counts of violating the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

Wood has been involved in litigation since 2010 related to her attempt to buy the former New York Life Building at 20 W. Ninth St. Those lawsuits alleged check kiting and fraud.

The Star

This story was originally published July 9, 2015 at 11:42 AM with the headline "Area business owner faces new bank fraud charges."