{"id":56089,"date":"2024-05-01T19:06:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-02T02:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=56089"},"modified":"2024-05-01T19:10:29","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T02:10:29","slug":"l-a-men-guilty-of-using-instagram-to-get-account-holders-to-deposit-stolen-checks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=56089","title":{"rendered":"L.A. Men Guilty of Using Instagram to Get Account Holders to Deposit Stolen Checks"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 LOS ANGELES<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"On Wednesday, two men from Los Angeles admitted to federal criminal charges, accused of scamming banks and credit unions out of a minimum of $2.7 million, officials stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

They executed the fraud by depositing checks stolen from the mail into bank accounts of recruits they found via Instagram, according to official<\/span><\/p>\n

Carlos Corona, 36, of South Los Angeles, and Jose Luis Edeza Jr., 31, of Sunland, the lead defendants in this criminal case, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"According to their plea agreements, from October 2020 to August 2023, Corona, Edeza, and other co-conspirators engaged in an elaborate bank fraud scheme using third-party bank accounts and stolen checks. <\/span><\/p>\n

Some co-conspirators stole checks from the U.S. mail stream, including from post office mail collection boxes outside post offices.<\/span><\/p>\n

The conspirators took possession of the stolen checks. <\/span><\/p>\n

They and others then solicited bank account holders through social media to provide their debit cards and bank account information, promising these account holders a cut of any fraudulent funds deposited into their accounts.<\/span><\/p>\n

To circumvent the fraud protections of the banks and credit unions, Corona, Edeza, and others specifically requested bank accounts open for a certain amount of time to get access to the stolen funds more quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Bank account holders responded to the social media advertisements. <\/span><\/p>\n

They provided members of the conspiracy with the information requested in the ads, including bank account numbers, PINs, debit cards, and online banking log-in information.<\/span><\/p>\n

Corona, Edeza, and other co-conspirators exchanged the bank account holders\u2019 information with each other and then deposited the stolen checks into these bank accounts. <\/span><\/p>\n

The stolen checks were usually falsely endorsed in the original payee\u2019s name. Sometimes, the checks were washed or altered to make the payee’s name correspond to the bank account into which the checks were being deposited.<\/span><\/p>\n

Corona, Edeza, and other co-conspirators then rapidly depleted the fraudulently deposited funds from the account holders\u2019 accounts by making cash withdrawals, electronic transfers, and\/or debit card purchases. <\/span><\/p>\n

To conceal the fraud, members of the conspiracy instructed account holders\u2014if the banks and credit unions contacted them about the fraudulent deposits\u2014to claim that their accounts had been compromised.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the scheme, Corona and Edeza intended to cause at least $5.3 million in losses to the banks and credit unions and actual losses to lenders of at least $2.7 million.<\/span><\/p>\n

U.S. District Judge John F. Walter scheduled July 8 sentencing hearings for Corona and Edeza.<\/span><\/p>\n

Each defenant is facing up to 30 years in federal prison for the bank fraud conspiracy count and a mandatory two-year consecutive prison sentence for the aggravated identity theft count.<\/span><\/p>\n

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and IRS Criminal Investigation are investigating this matter. <\/span><\/p>\n

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah E. Spielberger and Alexandra Michael of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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