A $1.5 million fraudulent check cashing scheme has landed Terry Bowman, 56, of Laurel, Maryland, in federal prison for 66 months. Bowman was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
According to evidence presented at his four-day trial, Bowman conspired with Nigerian nationals Friday James and Akintunde Akinlosotu and others to defraud financial institutions by depositing counterfeit and stolen checks and withdrawing the funds before the deposits were identified as fraudulent. The scheme, which lasted from approximately 2007 through November 2013, involved registering businesses with the state and opening bank accounts for these businesses.
Bowman and his co-conspirators, including LaKeisha Butler, 33, of Columbia, Maryland, and Kesa Baker, 43, of Baltimore, obtained post office box addresses and opened bank accounts for the businesses. They then deposited stolen, altered, and counterfeit checks into the accounts and withdrew the funds before the checks could bounce. Bowman and his co-conspirators used the identities of other people, or allowed their own identities to be used, to conduct these transactions.
The paperwork for the transactions was prepared by James or Akinlosotu, and the mailbox keys, checkbooks, and debit cards were provided back to them. Only James or Akinlosotu picked up the mail from the post office boxes. Additional co-conspirators were recruited to deposit the counterfeit checks and to withdraw the money, including Naimah Okail and Isaac Kusimo.
During Bowman’s participation in the bank fraud conspiracy, he and his co-conspirators obtained extensions of credit from federally insured financial institutions of $279,026.82, which was foreseeable to Bowman. More than 10 financial institutions and individuals were victimized by this scheme. Chief Judge Blake also entered an order requiring Bowman to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ actual foreseeable losses during the time he was involved in the conspiracy, $279,026.82.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Postal Inspector in Charge Terrence P. McKeown of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas Jankowski of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Washington, D.C. Field Office. Bowman’s co-conspirators, Friday James, LaKeisha Butler, and Kesa Baker, were sentenced to 54 months, 30 months, and 13 months in prison, respectively.
Bowman’s sentencing serves as a reminder of the severe consequences of engaging in bank fraud and identity theft schemes. The cooperation between law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Internal Revenue Service, was instrumental in bringing Bowman and his co-conspirators to justice.
Related Federal Cases
- Afghan Detainee Dies After Brief ICE Custody · Maryland
- James Leads Coalition Against Extremist SAVE America Act · New Mexico
- James Battles Trump Admin on Trans Health Ed. · Washington
- James Blocks Trump’s Social Services Cuts · Washington
- James Leads Charge to Shield Haitian Immigrants from Deportation · Washington
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News