Related Federal Cases
New York Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Role in Bank Fraud Scheme
A Bronx, New York, man was sentenced to 48 months in prison for his role in a scheme to steal bank customer identities and then use the information to steal more than $600,000.
Lamar Melhado, 32, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb to Count 1 of an indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
The scheme, which took place from August 2016 through August 2017, involved Melhado and others defrauding a Mount Laurel, New Jersey, bank. Melhado’s co-conspirator, Jamere Hill-Birdsong, worked inside the bank’s call center and recruited other call center employees to participate in the scheme.
Hill-Birdsong and Melhado would then use the stolen information to have phony identification documents made in the names of the bank customers. They used various runners to go into bank branches and make unauthorized cash withdrawals, and also conducted unauthorized online transfers of monies from the customer’s accounts.
As a result of the scheme, Melhado was ordered to pay $604,096 in restitution and to forfeit $151,024. In addition to the prison term, Judge Bumb sentenced Melhado to five years of supervised release.
The investigation leading to Melhado’s sentencing was credited to agents of the FBI’s South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire in Philadelphia.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana Vondra Carrig of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
Melhado’s sentencing is a significant blow to those who would seek to exploit and steal from innocent people, and serves as a reminder of the consequences of engaging in such activities.
Defendant: Lamar Melhado
Criminal Charges: conspiracy to commit bank fraud
City and State: Camden, New Jersey
Exact Date: March 26, 2024
Sentence or Outcome: 48 months in prison, $604,096 in restitution, $151,024 in forfeiture, and 5 years of supervised release
Dollar Amounts: $604,096 in restitution and $151,024 in forfeiture
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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