Miss Wisconsin USA has forfeited her crown and resigned from the Miss USA beauty pageant after admitting to charges of identity theft, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Shaletta Porterfield, 26, was named Miss Wisconsin USA last year, and would have competed in the national contest in Las Vegas on June 19.
The allegations arise from Porterfield’s job selling ads last summer, according to the Waunakee Tribune. Three business owners in the Madison, WI, area complained to police that someone had forged their signatures on contracts to buy advertisements in Homepages, a local business directory.
Police allegedly connected the fraud to Porterfield, who confessed on Dec. 9, the Waunakee paper reported. She faces three counts of misappropriating identity information to obtain money, with a maximum penalty of $30,000 or six years in prison.
Porterfield resigned as Miss Wisconsin USA on Friday to avoid bringing more scandal to the Miss USA pageant, her attorney, Robert F. Nagel, told the Milwaukee paper.
“It’s unfortunate, but she has a lot going for her, and she’s ready to move on,” Nagel said.
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