Wilmington, Delaware – Crandall Speights, a 43-year-old serial fraudster, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison on September 18, 2025, for orchestrating a scheme that defrauded individuals and banks out of over $900,000. Speights, who has been under the radar since his escape from justice, was caught in New Jersey with stolen checks totaling $53,760.
Speights’s crimes began with nighttime mailbox raids, where he stole checks and altered them to deposit into accounts he controlled. This mail theft scheme netted him approximately $345,250 between June 2019 and October 2021. Simultaneously, from June 2020 to April 2021, Speights submitted fraudulent loan applications under the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, defrauding the Small Business Administration of $559,999.
After a federal grand jury indicted Speights in September 2023, he skipped bail for nearly eight months. His luxurious life, fueled by fraud proceeds, included over 40 pieces of jewelry worth almost half a million dollars and 11 fur coats valued at $56,250. Law enforcement seized these items from his home.
U.S. Attorney Julianne E. Murray emphasized the impact of such crimes on communities, stating, ‘Fraudsters do real damage to our community by altering checks found in the mail, diverting taxpayer funds, and looting government programs.’ Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty of IRS-Criminal Investigation hailed the victory for the American public, noting the seizure of a significant portion of the illegal proceeds.
Christopher Nielsen, Inspector in Charge of the Philadelphia Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, highlighted the harm caused by mail theft and praised the hard work of investigators and law enforcement partners. The IRS-Criminal Investigation and U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly A. Hudson prosecuted it.
Related Federal Cases
- CPA Barry Horrow Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud Scheme · Delaware
- Jury Convicts Leaford Cameron in Nationwide Law Fraud Scheme · Pennsylvania
- Lessie Dickerson Pleads Guilty in $2M Home-Improvement Fraud Scheme · Pennsylvania
- Caregiver Steals Disabled Clients’ Identities for $90K Fraud · Delaware
- Western Union Scam · Washington
Key Facts
- State: Delaware
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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