James Mario Lewis Sentenced in $120K Check Forgery Scheme

South Saint Paul man James Mario Lewis, a/k/a “Lowdown,” 47, is headed to federal prison for operating a five-year check forgery scheme that netted over $120,000 in stolen funds. Lewis was sentenced to 61 months on February 20, 2018, by Senior Judge Michael J. Davis in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, after pleading guilty on July 6, 2017, to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Lewis didn’t work alone. From May 2009 through April 2014, he led a ring of co-conspirators who systematically stole checks from private mailboxes, then used chemical ‘washing’ techniques to erase the original payee’s name. Using stolen bank account information, they rewrote the checks in the names of accomplices and cashed more than 60 counterfeit checks at local banks. The scheme spanned years and targeted unsuspecting victims who trusted the security of their mail.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service called the sentencing a warning. ‘The recent sentencing of Mr. Lewis to over five years in prison for theft of mail should be a wake-up call to those individuals who are contemplating a similar crime,’ said Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Dana Carter of the Denver Division. ‘The US Postal Inspection Service continues a long tradition of protecting the American public from those individuals who would steal or use the US Mail in furtherance of their criminal activities.’

Lewis and his crew weren’t just stealing paper—they were exploiting personal data. By rewriting checks with fake payees and real bank account details, they committed aggravated identity theft on top of bank fraud. The damage was substantial: over $120,000 in fraudulent transactions, with $57,963.41 ordered in restitution. He will also face five years of supervised release upon his release from prison.

The takedown was the result of a coordinated effort between the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, and the Minnesota Financial Crimes Task Force. Investigators followed a trail of laundered checks, bank records, and suspect identities that ultimately led back to Lewis as the central figure in the operation. His nickname, ‘Lowdown,’ now carries a federal conviction to match.

Assistant United States Attorney Manda M. Sertich prosecuted the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota. James Mario Lewis, 47, of South Saint Paul, Minn., now faces the consequences of a long-running fraud operation that violated both trust and the law. The case underscores the real-world impact of financial crimes that start with a stolen envelope and end in federal prison.