A Georgia man convicted for his role in a bank fraud scheme that exploited homeless individuals in Rhode Island has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison.
Michael Williams, 26, of Atlanta, GA, pleaded guilty on July 7, 2021 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
The scheme, which took place from October 2018 through February 2021, involved Williams recruiting homeless individuals to cash hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of counterfeit business checks in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maine.
According to court documents, individuals were paid approximately $100 per check that they successfully cashed. The investigation determined that using homeless and itinerant individuals, Williams and others attempted to cash approximately $677,687 worth of counterfeit checks throughout the New England region, causing actual losses to financial institutions of approximately $480,000.
On February 5, 2021, Williams and another person recruited and drove a homeless person to a Providence bank to cash a check, and threatened to injure the man if he failed to provide them with all the proceeds. The Providence Police located the vehicle a short distance away, arrested Williams, and seized $12,000 in cash.
A court-authorized search was conducted at a Providence residence that law enforcement determined Williams used when in Rhode Island; that search resulted in the seizure of items used to create counterfeit checks, including a computer which contained a program used to design and print checks, a printer, blank check stock, an envelope containing numerous stolen checks, and approximately $5,000 in cash.
Williams was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison to be followed by 3 years of federal supervised release. He was ordered to pay $480,000 in restitution.
Key Facts
- State: Rhode Island
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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