Mark Clark, Bank Fraud, Delaware 2020

A Liberian man has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for his role in a bank fraud scheme that targeted vulnerable individuals and the government.

Mark Clark, 45, of Liberia, was sentenced by the Honorable Maryellen Noreika, U.S. District Judge for the District of Delaware, after pleading guilty to one count of bank fraud in October 2020.

According to court documents, Clark opened personal and business bank accounts at numerous financial institutions in his own name and in the name of other individuals, including his own deceased relatives, for the purpose of receiving fraudulently obtained wire transfers from unwitting victims.

Once the victims' money hit Clark's accounts, he would convert a portion of it for his own use and distribute the rest to others involved in the fraudulent schemes, including to individuals in Ghana.

Clark received over $250,000 in fraudulently obtained funds between July 2017 and August 2018. The victims tricked into sending money to Clark's accounts included five individuals who were victimized through Internet-based romance fraud.

U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss stated, 'Internet-based fraud scams are a nationwide problem that frequently target the most vulnerable members of our society.'

In addition to the prison term, Judge Noreika ordered that Clark pay restitution in the amount of $85,779, as well as a 3-year period of supervised release.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-de/pr/liberian-man-sentenced-27-months-bank-fraud