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Mount Vernon resident Ishmael Benreuben, age 26, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Oct. 10 to participating in a scheme involving the deposit of around $760,000 in fraudulent checks into bank accounts in several states, the US Attorney's Office for Southern District of New York announced.
According to federal officials, between September 2021 and March 2022, Benreuben and other individuals began a forgery and fraud scheme. As part of this plan, Benreuben would steal checks from the mail, forge and alter them, and deposit them into bank accounts in New York, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. that belonged to 26 co-conspirators.
After this, Benreuben would then quickly withdraw the funds before the banks had a chance to void the checks or shut down the accounts, officials said.
The forged checks all ranged in amounts between $5,000 and $42,000 and were drawn from the accounts of real businesses and people throughout the Northeast, according to the US Attorney's Office.
In total, Benreuben and his co-conspirators deposited around $760,000 in fraudulent checks and withdrew around $115,000 before the banks were able to shut down the affected accounts, officials said.
When Benreuben was finally arrested, authorities found him hiding under a couch in a co-conspirator’s home while he had allegedly been in possession of several images of the information on victims' identification cards, debit cards, and social security cards. He pleaded guilty to the following on Tuesday:
- One count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory prison sentence of two years;
- One count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 30 years.
Benreuben is scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday, Jan. 10.
"The defendant committed malicious fraud for his own personal gain. With today’s guilty plea, he can no longer endanger the community," said United States Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Freaney, who added, "This case should serve as a strong deterrent for criminal actors considering taking part in similar fraud schemes."
"The defendant’s fraudulent scheme affected real people and their businesses. Today, he has been held accountable for his brazen conduct," commented US Attorney Damian Williams.
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