Greenville Man Caged in $264K Prepaid Card Scam

Dalvin Michael Davenport, Jr., 23, of Greenville, South Carolina, is headed to federal prison for his role in a brazen access device fraud conspiracy that bled over $264,000 from businesses across South Carolina and Georgia. Davenport was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison on February 9, 2017, by United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain, with an additional 3 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $30,857.89 in restitution.

The conviction stems from a coordinated scam in which Davenport and co-conspirators exploited retail employees to fraudulently load funds onto prepaid Green Dot and Visa cards. At a guilty plea hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeanne Howard detailed how the group recruited cashiers at various businesses to credit money onto the cards without payment. Once loaded, the cards were activated and drained almost immediately, leaving businesses holding the bag.

Davenport pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud and money laundering, violations of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1029 and 1956. The scheme was not the work of a lone actor—multiple accomplices have already been sentenced, revealing a tightly knit network of fraud operating across the Upstate.

Among those already caged: Vincenzo Mikkel Byers, 26, of Greenville, sentenced to 36 months; Cierra Andreous James, 24, of Greenville, hit with 30 months; Brandon Christopher Davis, 26, of Simpsonville, also 30 months; Tony Christopher Robinson, 24, of Fountain Inn, sentenced to 18 months; and Davario Rashad Clinkscale, 23, of Greenville, slapped with 30 months. Eric Ross Wilson, 26, of Greenville, got 30 months; Terrance Justin Davis, 27, of Mauldin, received 21 months; Quentin Nathaniel McClinton, 25, of Greenville, got time served; and Adam Isaiah Posley, 21, of Greenville, was handed 3 years’ probation.

The case was cracked open by federal agents from the FBI Upstate Gang Task Force and the U.S. Treasury Department, IRS Criminal Investigation Division. Their probe peeled back layers of illicit transactions and employee collusion, ultimately dismantling a scheme that relied on insider access and rapid cashout tactics typical of organized financial crime rings.

Assistant United States Attorney Jeanne Howard, out of the Greenville office, prosecuted the case. With losses exceeding a quarter-million dollars, the sentencing marks a rare win in the fight against prepaid card fraud—a growing menace plaguing retailers and financial institutions nationwide.

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