Jason Fagin Gets 65 Months for Check Fraud, Meth Payoffs

Minneapolis man Jason Maurice Fagin, 38, is headed to federal prison for 65 months after admitting his role in a brazen bank fraud conspiracy that funneled stolen cash into methamphetamine distribution. Sentenced on February 8, 2018, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier, Fagin’s crime spree spanned multiple states and exploited the personal data of unsuspecting victims to fuel both fraud and drug trafficking.

Fagin pleaded guilty on November 9, 2017, to Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft, charges stemming from a two-month scheme that ran from September 2016 to mid-November 2016. He was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 9, 2017, originally facing additional charges including possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. The case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri, laid bare a calculated operation rooted in theft and deception.

Working in tandem with co-defendant Angelica Marie Hatch-Pequin (“Hatch”), Fagin targeted affluent neighborhoods in Minneapolis, stealing mail containing checks and billing information. From that pilfered data, Fagin forged both payroll checks—ranging from $450 to $2,000—and personal checks worth $100 to $800. Hatch then cashed the counterfeit checks at convenience stores and casinos across Minnesota, Iowa, and South Dakota, often using stolen driver’s licenses to pass them off.

Their run ended on November 16, 2016, when both were arrested at the Royal River Casino in Flandreau, South Dakota, attempting to negotiate a $1,500 counterfeit payroll check. Hatch presented a fake ID belonging to another individual—a move captured on surveillance and confirmed by tribal and local law enforcement. Fagin, present and actively involved, provided the forged instrument and stood by during the attempt.

The financial damage tied to their actions ranged between $40,000 and $95,000, all from accounts held at FDIC-insured banks. In addition to prison time, Fagin was ordered to forfeit property and pay restitution to victims, plus a $200 penalty to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. He was remanded immediately into the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service and the Bureau of Prisons.

The investigation was a joint effort by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Flandreau Sioux Tribe’s Police Department, the Hotel and Casino Security Department, and the Flandreau Police Department. Hatch-Pequin, who pleaded guilty to the same charges, was previously sentenced to federal prison. The case underscores how identity theft and financial fraud increasingly intersect with the underground drug economy.