Janel McDonald Guilty Of Fake ID Scam To Cash Stolen Checks

OAKLAND—In a grim twist of justice, Janel McDonald, 38, from Los Angeles, has been convicted by a federal jury for her involvement in a conspiracy to cash stolen and fraudulently obtained U.S. Treasury checks, according to U.S. Attorney Brian J. Stretch and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

McDonald was charged in November 2015 alongside ten co-defendants for conspiracy to commit theft of public money, theft of public money, and aggravated identity theft. From August 2013 through April 2015, her co-conspirators stole personal identifying information from California death records and filed fraudulent federal tax returns seeking refunds. They also stole social security and refund checks from the U.S. mail system.

McDonald’s role was to provide fake California IDs to her co-conspirators, who then used them to cash the stolen checks. On November 5, 2015, she faced additional charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, two counts of theft of public money, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

The jury found McDonald guilty on all charges presented. Sentencing is set for August 1, with a maximum sentence of five years in prison for conspiracy to commit theft of public money, ten years for theft of public money, and a mandatory minimum of two years for aggravated identity theft. She also faces supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.

U.S. Attorney Stretch and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg extended their gratitude to the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation agents who led the investigation, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Newman, Jose Olivera, and Trial Attorney Gregory Bernstein of the Tax Division for their prosecution efforts.