Algernon Donte Martin, Bank Fraud, Pennsylvania 2022

A New York man has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for his role in a bank fraud scheme that stole thousands of dollars from unsuspecting victims.

Algernon Donte Martin, 26, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner on December 19, 2022, for his conviction on bank fraud charges.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Martin was a member of a conspiracy that stole mail from postal boxes, rifled through it to find checks made payable to third parties, and then altered the checks and deposited them in other bank accounts.

investigators identified at least 40 stolen checks, of which 19 had been cashed, resulting in financial losses to victims. The conspiracy involved the participation of Kazaria Blair, a U.S. Postal Service employee working in the Harrisburg area, who provided the conspirators access to a postal key that enabled them to open blue postal collection boxes to steal the mail.

Blair has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in relation to the scheme.

In addition to Martin, two co-defendants have also been sentenced. Edward Hart, 32, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, while Travis Terrell Price, 27, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to serve four months in prison.

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service – Harrisburg Office, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian T. Haugsby prosecuting the case.

Martin was ordered to pay victims restitution in the amount of $82,969.06 and to serve three years of supervised release following his release from prison.

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