'Black Widow' gets two years

She goes by many names.

Some people know her only as the “Black Widow.”

But Sandra Camille Powers will soon be known for her federal inmate number rather than by one of her many aliases.

Dubbed the “Black Widow,” by the media, Powers, 64, will spend the next two years in federal prison.

But the woman who became notorious for, but never formally charged with, a trail of dead husbands, will serve time in prison for identity theft, not murder.

Powers was sentenced Sept. 3 to 24 months in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, followed by one year of supervised release. Powers must also pay a $250,000 fine.

Powers was given credit for time served while in federal custody, but not for the five months she spent in the Brunswick County Detention Center on a $1.5 million bond, Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Marty Folding said.

Powers was arrested in March 2007 for mishandling the financial accounts of a 77-year-old St. James woman, Sue Moseley, while serving as her caretaker.

Powers was originally charged in Brunswick County with obtaining property by false pretences, forgery of an instrument and uttering a forged instrument.

But the local charges were dropped when Powers was charged federally, district attorney Rex Gore announced in July 2007.

Powers was charged federally July 10, 2007 with aggravated identity theft, mail theft, misuse of Social Security funds and access device fraud.

As part of her federal plea agreement, Powers pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft. The other charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Folding and detective Jayne Todd investigated Powers’ local charges.

“I would have liked to see her have more time,” Folding said about Powers’ sentence.

“I really don’t think justice is served, because of what she has done in the past and gotten away with,” Folding said.

The investigation

The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office first became involved with the case in December 2006 when Moseley contacted a detective when she thought someone had been writing unauthorized checks and using her credit card.

But Moseley did not immediately suspect Powers.

In July 2007, Gore said the investigation was not a search for the “Black Widow,” but an investigation into the financial exploitation of a Brunswick County senior citizen.

“Detective (Jayne) Todd and (Lt.) Marty Folding met with Ms. Moseley for the first time on February 22, 2007. Just six days later they had built a case and obtained warrants,” Gore said.

But the investigation did stir up the national media, he admits.

“Ms. Powers is often referred to as the ‘Black Widow.’ We feel that the developments we are announcing today ensnare her securely in her own web of deceit and lies.”

Brunswick County’s investigation into Powers has prompted law enforcement officers in other jurisdictions to reopen cold cases, Gore said.