A Beaver County woman is accused of forging the signature of a bankruptcy court judge so she could get student loans to attend college.

Catherine D. Jeter, 35, of Ambridge, is charged in federal court with a felony -- one count of forging the signature of a judicial officer, which is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Last October, Ms. Jeter filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy. She listed a total of nearly $56,000 in liabilities and $13,683 in assets.

At the time she filed the claim, Ms. Jeter, who was separated from her husband, was earning $1,708 each month. She listed four children in the paperwork -- two who were 13 years old, as well as a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old.

To obtain student loans to continue attending Point Park University, Ms. Jeter needed to show she had reached an agreement in court to resolve her debt.

While the court still was considering the case, she copied the signature of U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Judith K. Fitzgerald from a previous order of the court to create a bankruptcy discharge letter to American Education Services, a financial aid organization, according to Ronda Winnecour, the bankruptcy court trustee assigned to the case.

In a fax she sent on June 21 to American Education Services, Ms. Jeter said she was waiting to have her loan money released to Point Park University.

In August, Ms. Winnecour wrote a letter to Judge Fitzgerald, saying that the judge's signature had been forged on a letter to American Education Services.

According to the letter from Ms. Winnecour, "the signature portion of the [false] document is an exact replica of the signature" on a court order attaching her wages at a sum of $358 per month.

Ms. Winnecour has now moved for Ms. Jeter's bankruptcy case to be dismissed with prejudice for falsifying records. If the filing is dismissed with prejudice, it cannot be refiled and Ms. Jeter would lose the chance to make a court-organized arrangement to settle her debts. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Thursday.

In paperwork Ms. Jeter filed with the bankruptcy court, she pleaded that her case continue, saying that when she applied for her student loans, she didn't know the bankruptcy would affect them.

"I in no way intended to defraud AES," she wrote.

"I was nervous and scared ... and I didn't take the time to think about what I should do," she wrote. "I just didn't want to have to owe the school money and then not be able to continue my education."

She continued: "I beg the court and your honorable judge to show mercy. If my case is [dismissed] I will lose everything. All I have for me and my children is my car and my apartment, and I am trying to do everything to get back on my feet.

"I admit I was very wrong for sending that paper to AES but at the time, that is all I could think of doing. I will do anything I have to do to make sure not to make the same mistake again."

Ms. Jeter was last enrolled at Point Park for this past summer session. According to university records, she would be considered a junior and is a professional studies major.

She previously filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy in July 2004.

She is scheduled to be arraigned on the criminal charge Nov. 2.