PHILADELPHIA, PA – Robert Sean Harrington, 42, of Baltimore, MD, will spend the next five years and four months behind bars for his part in a sprawling, two-year conspiracy that flooded Walmart stores across the country with over $1 million in bogus checks. U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Leeson, Jr. handed down the sentence yesterday, along with a three-year supervised release and an order to pay $204,066 in restitution.
Harrington pleaded guilty in September 2019 to charges of aggravated identity theft, conspiracy, and wire fraud. He was one of nine individuals indicted in the scheme, which ran from June 2016 to July 2018. The crew systematically targeted Walmart locations nationwide, using stolen identities to cash counterfeit checks, leaving a trail of financial wreckage in their wake.
Harrington isn’t the only one facing consequences. Ahmad Becoate, 34, of Philadelphia, PA, received a 75-month sentence. Jeffrey Roach, 35, also from Baltimore, MD, got 94 months. Jethro Richardson, 42, of Greensboro, NC, will serve 70 months, while Nathaniel Jones, 41, of High Point, NC, received a comparatively light 24-month sentence. Leander Rowell, 44, of Greensboro, NC, faces 87 months, and Brian Cherry, 45, of Charlotte, NC, was sentenced to 70 months. All defendants are also required to make substantial restitution payments.
“This was a sophisticated scheme involving many defendants that took excellent investigative work to unravel,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams. “Financial fraud and identity theft harm hard-working individuals every day. Our office will continue to aggressively prosecute the perpetrators and seek justice for victims.” The investigation peeled back layers of deception, revealing a coordinated effort to exploit the financial system for personal gain.
Damon Wood, Postal Inspector in Charge of the Philadelphia Division of Postal Inspection Service, underscored the impact of these crimes on everyday people. “Passing stolen or counterfeit checks is as old a scheme as the concept of checks themselves,” Wood said. “Investigating and prosecuting these cases is tedious but necessary work as it helps to maintain confidence in our economic system. Also, real people are the ones hurt by these schemes as they are forced to work with their banks to recoup their lost money, close compromised accounts and open new clean accounts.”
The case was a collaborative effort, involving the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary E. Crawley prosecuted the case, securing convictions and sentences for all nine defendants involved in this brazen scheme. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and others like it, exposing the dark underbelly of financial crime.
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Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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