Shanell LaFrombois

A defendant charged with using stolen checks at a local bingo establishment in October 2023 has been sentenced to serve an 18-month sentence in New England Women’s Prison after entering a change of plea to guilty.

Shanell Lafrombois, 42, currently residing at Dakota Women’s Correctional Rehab Center in New England, entered her guilty pleas on April 17 to two counts of unauthorized use of personal identifying information, a Class C felony, as a part of a plea agreement with Ward County prosecutors.

According to court documents, the Ward County Sheriff’s Department was contacted by the staff of NDAD Bingorama in Minot, who reported the passing of forged checks by Lafrombois and Derrick Steven Laducer, 40, Rolla. Both Laducer and Lafrombois utilized a fake digital ID on their cell phones to pass the forged checks in exchange for cash to be used on digital gambling machines.

One employee became suspicious and contacted relatives from the Westhope area, who confirmed Lafrombois was not the owner of the checks based on a photograph. Investigators determined Lafrombois was able to collect $400 from two forged checks. Lafrombois and Laducer were eventually identified following a post on the Ward County Sheriff Department’s social media page.

District Court Judge Douglas Mattson sentenced Lafrombois to serve 18 months at DWCRC, which will be served concurrently with a sentence from a 2020 conviction in Cass County. Lafrombois was ordered to have no contact and maintain a 150-foot distance from Bingorama and pay $525 in court fines and fees in addition to $400 in restitution.

A warrant of arrest was issued in December 2023 for Laducer on one Class C felony count for unauthorized use of personal identifying information, but according to court records, his case is now listed as inactive.