Former Dispatcher Pleads Guilty to Fraud

A former Staunton (Virg.) police dispatcher has pleaded guilty to charges that she fraudulently obtained $120,000 in student loans. Cynthia Forsman, 39, allegedly took out loans from a non-profit organization over three years starting in August 2002, using the name and identify of her ex-husband’s uncle. Some of the money was spent on education expenses, but other money went towards family expenses, including medical expenses for her son. After the uncle began receiving phone calls from loan companies, he contacted police, who charged her with fraud. She resigned from her job last October, a month before she was charged with four counts of obtaining money by false pretenses and 30 counts of forgery. A judge has ordered her to repay $120,000 and may sentence her to jail after reviewing a pre-sentencing report. In the meantime, she’s free on bail. [Update: Please read the comments on this story.]