PITTSBURGH — Two former Butler County residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy, Social Security fraud and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney David Hickton announced Tuesday.

The 15-count indictment, returned on July 29 and unsealed Tuesday, named Robert W. MacVittie, 33, and Jennifer MacVittie, aka Jennifer Dinwiddie, 31, formerly of Cranberry Township, as defendants, according to the U.S. Attorney’s news release.

According to the indictment, from about October 2013 through May 2014, the MacVitties used cell phone cameras to “shoulder surf” Social Security numbers from Walmart customers nationwide by taking cell phone video images of the customers who were cashing checks at customer service counters.

The stolen information was later used to write counterfeit checks at Walmart stores throughout the United States, including Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Florida, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Kansas.

The couple was arrested at a small casino in Nevada on Nov. 29, the release said.

The law provides for a maximum sentence of not more than 65 years in prison, a fine of $3.7 million or both.

The Western Pennsylvania Financial Crimes Task Force did the investigation that led to the indictment of the couple.

The task force is a multiagency effort to combat financial crimes, including identity fraud, in Western Pennsylvania. Partnering in this are the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Department of Homeland Security, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office, the Allegheny County Police Department, the Pittsburgh Police and the state police.