PROVIDENCE, RI—According to documents filed in U.S. District Court in
Providence today, Justin L. Worley, 34, has agreed to plead guilty in
federal court to robbing eight banks in Rhode Island and one in
Massachusetts, announced United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha.
According to court documents, Worley will plead guilty to nine counts
of bank robbery. Worley will admit to the court that on nine separate
occasions he entered financial institutions, and, using implied or
explicit threats, including the threat of death in at least four of the
robberies, he robbed the banks of a total of $32,633.
According to the documents, Worley will admit to robbing eight
financial institutions in Rhode Island between April 16, 2012, and
September 18, 2012, and to robbing one in Seekonk, Massachusetts, on
February 23, 2012.
Worley was arrested at a motel in Seekonk on September 19, 2012, by
East Providence, Rhode Island and Seekonk, Massachusetts Police
Departments.
The bank robberies were investigated by the Barrington, Cranston,
East Providence, North Providence, Pawtucket, Seekonk, and Warwick
Police Departments and the FBI.
The maximum statutory penalty for bank robbery is 20 years in federal
prison; a fine of up to $250,000; and a term of supervised release of
three years.
Worley has been detained in federal custody since November 15, 2012.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys William J. Ferland and Paul F. Daly, Jr
Showing posts with label bank. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bank. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Identity Thieves Sentenced for Taking Over Bank Accounts
ATLANTA—A total of five defendants were sentenced today
and last Thursday for using fake driver’s licenses to withdraw almost
$1.5 million from victims’ bank accounts. The defendants were convicted
of conspiracy, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft after pleading
guilty.
United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, “The defendants tormented dozens of innocent victims who went to the bank only to discover that their accounts had been drained and identities stolen. The sentences imposed in this case appropriately reflect the severe damage done by identity thieves.”
“This case illustrates the negative impact that bank fraud and aggravated identity theft have on the citizens of the United States. The Secret Service will continue to aggressively pursue, with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, anyone that violates the trust that the public has in our economic system,” said Reginald G. Moore, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Atlanta Field Office.
Mark F. Giuliano, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, stated, “The defendants will now have plenty of time to contemplate the harm done by their aggressive criminal enterprise. The FBI will continue to work with its various law enforcement partners in protecting financial institutions and their account holders from the criminal activities of identity thieves.”
According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges, and other information presented in court: From February 2010 through August 2011, Gafar O. Kosoko Balogun ran an identity theft scheme in Atlanta that targeted various banks, including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, SunTrust, and BB&T. Balogun first obtained individuals’ financial account information, typically over the Internet from public websites. He went to credit reporting sites and guessed the answers to individuals’ security questions to gain access to their credit reports and went to other sites to collect business information and tax identification numbers. Balogun would then call the bank and impersonate the true account holder to find out the account balance of the victim.
Balogun provided the account information to Donish Adkins, Orlon Hall, Christian Okafor, and Wayne Cunningham, who in turn recruited “runners” to go into the banks and withdraw money from the victims’ accounts. Balogun supplied fake driver’s licenses to the runners, which they used to impersonate the account holders while in the banks. In addition to recruiting co-conspirators, Cunningham also entered banks and made withdrawals from victims’ accounts. After paying the runners about $500 per transaction, the defendants shared the remainder of the criminal proceeds. The investigation has linked over $2.7 million in actual and attempted withdrawals from over 60 accounts to the scheme. The defendants succeeded in getting over $1.4 million from these accounts.
United States District Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr. sentenced Balogun, Adkins, Hall, and Cunningham on Thursday, January 31, and sentenced Okafor today:
Assistant United States Attorney Stephen H. McClain and former Assistant United States Attorney Nick Oldham prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Information Office at USAGAN.Pressemails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.justice.gov/usao/gan.
United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, “The defendants tormented dozens of innocent victims who went to the bank only to discover that their accounts had been drained and identities stolen. The sentences imposed in this case appropriately reflect the severe damage done by identity thieves.”
“This case illustrates the negative impact that bank fraud and aggravated identity theft have on the citizens of the United States. The Secret Service will continue to aggressively pursue, with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, anyone that violates the trust that the public has in our economic system,” said Reginald G. Moore, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Atlanta Field Office.
Mark F. Giuliano, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, stated, “The defendants will now have plenty of time to contemplate the harm done by their aggressive criminal enterprise. The FBI will continue to work with its various law enforcement partners in protecting financial institutions and their account holders from the criminal activities of identity thieves.”
According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges, and other information presented in court: From February 2010 through August 2011, Gafar O. Kosoko Balogun ran an identity theft scheme in Atlanta that targeted various banks, including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, SunTrust, and BB&T. Balogun first obtained individuals’ financial account information, typically over the Internet from public websites. He went to credit reporting sites and guessed the answers to individuals’ security questions to gain access to their credit reports and went to other sites to collect business information and tax identification numbers. Balogun would then call the bank and impersonate the true account holder to find out the account balance of the victim.
Balogun provided the account information to Donish Adkins, Orlon Hall, Christian Okafor, and Wayne Cunningham, who in turn recruited “runners” to go into the banks and withdraw money from the victims’ accounts. Balogun supplied fake driver’s licenses to the runners, which they used to impersonate the account holders while in the banks. In addition to recruiting co-conspirators, Cunningham also entered banks and made withdrawals from victims’ accounts. After paying the runners about $500 per transaction, the defendants shared the remainder of the criminal proceeds. The investigation has linked over $2.7 million in actual and attempted withdrawals from over 60 accounts to the scheme. The defendants succeeded in getting over $1.4 million from these accounts.
United States District Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr. sentenced Balogun, Adkins, Hall, and Cunningham on Thursday, January 31, and sentenced Okafor today:
- Gafar O. Kosoko Balogun, 30, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to six years, six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $1,485,660.68 in restitution.
- Donish Adkins, 35, of Johns Creek, Georgia, was sentenced to five years, three months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $527,293.31 in restitution.
- Orlon Hall, 32, of Alpharetta, Georgia, was sentenced to five years, 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $698,943.31 in restitution.
- Wayne Cunningham, 53, of College Park, Georgia, was sentenced to seven years, three months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $46,860 in restitution.
- Christian Okafor, 36, of Duluth, Georgia, was sentenced to three years, 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $97,030.99 in restitution.
Assistant United States Attorney Stephen H. McClain and former Assistant United States Attorney Nick Oldham prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Information Office at USAGAN.Pressemails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.justice.gov/usao/gan.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Oceanside Man Arrested in Connection with Carlsbad Bank Robbery Investigation
San Diego FBI Special Agent in Charge, Daphne Hearn,
announces the arrest of Edward Jones Inzunza, age 30, of Oceanside,
California. Inzunza was arrested as a result of the investigation into
the robbery of the Comerica Bank at 2626 El Camino Real, in Carlsbad,
California, that occurred on Friday, January 4, 2013.
Inzunza was arrested on Friday, February 1, 2013, near the intersection of Lewis and Thunder, in Vista, California, by San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies during a vehicle stop. The deputies were working in coordination with the FBI and Carlsbad Police Department.
According to the federal complaint filed with the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, Inzunza is charged with one count of violating Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(a), bank robbery. Inzunza is charged with robbing the Comerica Bank at 2626 El Camino Real in Carlsbad, California, on Friday, January 4, 2013.
According to the complaint, on Friday, January 4, 2013, at approximately 4:30 p.m., the Comerica Bank, 2626 El Camino Real in Carlsbad, California, was robbed by an unknown male, subsequently identified as Edward Jones Inzunza. At the time of the robbery, Inzunza allegedly approached the victim teller and ordered the teller to raise his hands and to give him all the money he had in his drawer. Inzunza kept one hand in his sweat jacket pocket making some bank employees believe he had a gun in his pocket. Inzunza grabbed the money and placed it inside of his sweat jacket front pocket. Following the robbery, Inzunza walked across the parking lot and was observed entering an early 2000’s white Toyota T-100 extended cab pickup truck,
On Monday, January 7, 2013, the FBI issued a news release to the media and the public concerning the robbery of the Comerica Bank. This news release included bank surveillance photographs of the bank robber.
On Monday, January 28, 20103, an anonymous person reported to San Diego County Crime Stoppers that he/she saw bank surveillance photographs on the news and believed the Comerica Bank robber was Inzunza. This information, along with additional information developed through follow-up investigation, led to federal bank robbery charges being filed against Inzunza.
Following his arrest on Friday, February 1, 2013, Inzunza was booked into the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC), San Diego, California. Inzunza is expected to have his initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on or about Monday, February 4, 2013.
This robbery is being investigated by the Carlsbad Police Department, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, and the FBI. This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California, and San Diego, California.
An arrest itself is not evidence that the defendant committed crimes charged. The defendant is presumed innocent until the government meets its burden in court of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Inzunza was arrested on Friday, February 1, 2013, near the intersection of Lewis and Thunder, in Vista, California, by San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies during a vehicle stop. The deputies were working in coordination with the FBI and Carlsbad Police Department.
According to the federal complaint filed with the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, Inzunza is charged with one count of violating Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(a), bank robbery. Inzunza is charged with robbing the Comerica Bank at 2626 El Camino Real in Carlsbad, California, on Friday, January 4, 2013.
According to the complaint, on Friday, January 4, 2013, at approximately 4:30 p.m., the Comerica Bank, 2626 El Camino Real in Carlsbad, California, was robbed by an unknown male, subsequently identified as Edward Jones Inzunza. At the time of the robbery, Inzunza allegedly approached the victim teller and ordered the teller to raise his hands and to give him all the money he had in his drawer. Inzunza kept one hand in his sweat jacket pocket making some bank employees believe he had a gun in his pocket. Inzunza grabbed the money and placed it inside of his sweat jacket front pocket. Following the robbery, Inzunza walked across the parking lot and was observed entering an early 2000’s white Toyota T-100 extended cab pickup truck,
On Monday, January 7, 2013, the FBI issued a news release to the media and the public concerning the robbery of the Comerica Bank. This news release included bank surveillance photographs of the bank robber.
On Monday, January 28, 20103, an anonymous person reported to San Diego County Crime Stoppers that he/she saw bank surveillance photographs on the news and believed the Comerica Bank robber was Inzunza. This information, along with additional information developed through follow-up investigation, led to federal bank robbery charges being filed against Inzunza.
Following his arrest on Friday, February 1, 2013, Inzunza was booked into the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC), San Diego, California. Inzunza is expected to have his initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on or about Monday, February 4, 2013.
This robbery is being investigated by the Carlsbad Police Department, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, and the FBI. This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California, and San Diego, California.
An arrest itself is not evidence that the defendant committed crimes charged. The defendant is presumed innocent until the government meets its burden in court of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Former Bank Director Charged with Securities and Wire Fraud
A former director of a Georgia bank who managed two
private investment funds has been charged by a federal grand jury in the
Eastern District of New York with securities fraud and wire fraud.
According to court documents, defendant Aubrey Lee Price sent a letter
to acquaintances in mid-June 2012 in which he admitted that he had lost a
large amount of investor money through trading activities and that he
planned to kill himself by jumping from a ferry boat in Florida. Price
remains missing. Anyone with information regarding Price’s whereabouts
or the alleged crime is urged to contact the Federal Bureau of
Investigation office in New York at (212) 384-1000 or at ny1@ic.fbi.gov.
The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and George Venizelos, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), New York Field Office.
According to the indictment, Price managed investment funds PFG LLC (PFG) and the Montgomery Growth Fund (Montgomery Growth). Starting in or about June 2009, PFG raised approximately $40 million from approximately 115 investors from across the nation. Price unsuccessfully invested PFG funds in various equity securities, options, and real estate, including farms in South America. To cover up his losses, Price allegedly lied to his investors by posting fake account statements on a secure PFG website that fraudulently reflected fictitious assets and fabricated investment returns.
The indictment also states that, starting in or about January 2011, Price became a director of Montgomery Bank & Trust (MB&T), a financial institution in Ailey, Georgia. Price also invested some of the bank’s capital, which he told the bank’s management he would invest safely in U.S. Treasury securities. Instead, Price lost much of the bank’s money through risky investments in equity securities and options. Price also embezzled MB&T money to pay redemptions to some PFG investors. The indictment charges that Price covered up his embezzlement and losses of MB&T’s funds by giving the bank’s management fabricated documents falsely indicating that approximately $17 million was on deposit in the bank’s name at a large financial services firm in New York.
“As charged in the indictment, this defendant repeatedly abused the trust placed in him by his investors and MB&T by lying about his investment losses, fabricating documents, and embezzling bank funds. Through this web of deception, Price acted to create the image of a successful investor. When that image was shown to be a lie, he then orchestrated his confession and disappearance. We are using every resource available to locate him and recover the funds he stole,” said U.S. Attorney Lynch.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Venizelos stated, “As alleged, Price lied to investors about where their money would be invested and lied to them about the solvency of his company. He lied to the bank on whose board he served about investment of bank capital and lied again to cover up that lie. It is therefore reasonable to assume that Price’s talk of suicide was also a lie. The FBI is actively looking for Aubrey Lee Price.”
The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum prison sentence of 30 years for wire fraud and 25 years for securities fraud.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David C. Woll, Jr., James McMahon, and Brian Morris.
This case was brought in coordination with President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. President Obama established the interagency task force to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch and, with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.
Defendant:Aubrey Lee Price
Age: 46
The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and George Venizelos, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), New York Field Office.
According to the indictment, Price managed investment funds PFG LLC (PFG) and the Montgomery Growth Fund (Montgomery Growth). Starting in or about June 2009, PFG raised approximately $40 million from approximately 115 investors from across the nation. Price unsuccessfully invested PFG funds in various equity securities, options, and real estate, including farms in South America. To cover up his losses, Price allegedly lied to his investors by posting fake account statements on a secure PFG website that fraudulently reflected fictitious assets and fabricated investment returns.
The indictment also states that, starting in or about January 2011, Price became a director of Montgomery Bank & Trust (MB&T), a financial institution in Ailey, Georgia. Price also invested some of the bank’s capital, which he told the bank’s management he would invest safely in U.S. Treasury securities. Instead, Price lost much of the bank’s money through risky investments in equity securities and options. Price also embezzled MB&T money to pay redemptions to some PFG investors. The indictment charges that Price covered up his embezzlement and losses of MB&T’s funds by giving the bank’s management fabricated documents falsely indicating that approximately $17 million was on deposit in the bank’s name at a large financial services firm in New York.
“As charged in the indictment, this defendant repeatedly abused the trust placed in him by his investors and MB&T by lying about his investment losses, fabricating documents, and embezzling bank funds. Through this web of deception, Price acted to create the image of a successful investor. When that image was shown to be a lie, he then orchestrated his confession and disappearance. We are using every resource available to locate him and recover the funds he stole,” said U.S. Attorney Lynch.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Venizelos stated, “As alleged, Price lied to investors about where their money would be invested and lied to them about the solvency of his company. He lied to the bank on whose board he served about investment of bank capital and lied again to cover up that lie. It is therefore reasonable to assume that Price’s talk of suicide was also a lie. The FBI is actively looking for Aubrey Lee Price.”
The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum prison sentence of 30 years for wire fraud and 25 years for securities fraud.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David C. Woll, Jr., James McMahon, and Brian Morris.
This case was brought in coordination with President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. President Obama established the interagency task force to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch and, with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.
Defendant:Aubrey Lee Price
Age: 46
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