Aaron Llody Northern, Bank Fraud Conspiracy, New Jersey 2018

NEWARK, N.J. – A brazen scheme to steal checks from the U.S. mail and defraud banks has landed twelve individuals in federal hot water, authorities announced today. The operation, which stretched across state lines in 2018 and 2019, involved altering stolen checks and funneling illicit funds through a web of accounts.

U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito identified the accused as Aaron Llody Northern, a/k/a “Bossdon Butta,” 28, of Reisterstown, Maryland; Corey Bond, a/k/a “Teddy Brown,” 27, of New York, New York; Tyrell Baker, 23, of the Bronx, New York; Andre Tyrone Wallace, 31, of the Bronx, New York; Michellian Thompson, 34, of the Bronx, New York; Achiel Morgan, a/k/a “Ace Skrap,” 22, of the Bronx, New York; Quinton Sessions, a/k/a “Q Doggy Widda Hoddie,” 27, of the Bronx, New York; Brian Adjavon, a/k/a “CarlosSlimm,” a/k/a “sasuforever,” 30, of the Bronx, New York; Dashawn Danforth, a/k/a “Shawn Moneyy Marley,” 31, of Staten Island, New York; Simone Cordero, 29, of the Bronx, New York; Stephanie Lee Sanchez, 25, of New York, New York; and Hans Pierre, a/k/a “hustlehans,” 32, of Brooklyn, New York.

Each of the twelve defendants is charged with one count of bank fraud conspiracy (Count One), one count of conspiracy to receive and possess stolen mail (Count Two); and one count of conspiracy to possess and receive interstate altered securities (Count Three). The feds aren’t stopping there, however. Northern, Sessions, Adjavon, Danforth, and Pierre also face a money laundering conspiracy charge (Count Four), while Northern and Cordero are additionally charged with aggravated identity theft (Count Five). Authorities say surveillance footage captured the defendants and associates pilfering mail directly from U.S. Postal Service collection boxes in Newark.

The scheme wasn’t limited to individuals. A New Jersey branch of a non-profit network of public charter schools fell victim to the fraud, experiencing illicit activity on its bank accounts after mailing checks. After the checks were stolen, they were altered – payees and amounts changed – and deposited into accounts controlled by the defendants. The stolen funds were then shuffled around or withdrawn as cash, obscuring the trail. Baker, Thompson, Morgan, Adjavon, Danforth, Sanchez, Cordero, and Wallace were arrested today and are slated to appear via videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge James B. Clark III. Northern was apprehended in Maryland and will appear in the District of Maryland on Oct. 23, 2020. Bond, Sessions, and Pierre remain at large.

The stakes are high. Count One carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Counts Two and Three each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the pecuniary gain to the defendant or loss to the victim, whichever is greater. Count Four could land the conspirators 20 years behind bars and a $500,000 fine, or twice the value of the property involved. Aggravated identity theft, Count Five, carries a mandatory two-year consecutive sentence, along with a potential $250,000 fine.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Newark Division, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Raimundo Marrero, and the U.S Postal Inspection Service New York Division, under the direction of Inspector in Charge David Bowers, for their work on the case. This investigation underscores the ongoing threat posed by mail fraud and the commitment of federal agencies to dismantle these criminal operations and hold those responsible accountable. The investigation is ongoing, and further arrests are possible.

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