BOSTON – In a brazen scheme to swindle money from unsuspecting bank customers, a Malden man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his role in a bank fraud conspiracy.
According to investigators, Lajerran Long, 27, was paid to recruit a teller at Santander Bank to participate in the scheme, which involved using falsified identification documents to withdraw funds from customer accounts. This led to the fraudulent withdrawal of over $800,000 in December 2017 and January 2018.
The majority of the stolen funds were recovered by the bank. Long pleaded guilty on June 14, 2021, to one count of bank fraud conspiracy.
As a result of his conviction, Long was sentenced to nine months in prison and three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $357,333 and forfeiture of $5,000.
The case was the result of a larger investigation into multiple schemes to withdraw funds from customer accounts at several financial institutions. Bank tellers were recruited to accept falsified identification documents without scrutiny and facilitate the withdrawals.
The fraudulently-obtained funds were then negotiated through accounts at other financial institutions that had been opened in the names of fictitious business entities. Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, announced the sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leslie A. Wright and Christopher J. Markham of Mendell’s Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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