- Key insight: The conspiracy relied on a "recruitment hierarchy" involving a Truist branch employee to force transactions through and a USPS worker to steal check data from the mail.
- Supporting data: The eight sentenced individuals sought to defraud financial institutions of over $1 million and collectively owe Truist $390,000 in restitution.
- Key insight: Evidence of the brazen scheme included incriminating texts, photos of cash, and one defendant wearing a custom diamond ring shaped like the Truist logo.
Overview bullets generated by AI with editorial review
Eight Georgia residents, including a former Truist Bank branch employee, have been sentenced to prison for a sophisticated check cashing and kickback scheme that utilized stolen check information from a former U.S. Postal Service employee and sought to defraud financial institutions of more than $1 million.
The conspiracy, which operated from at least November 2021 until December 2022, centered on a Truist Bank insider to ensure fraudulent transactions were processed successfully at the expense of the bank.
"Individuals who participate in check-cashing and kickback schemes will face imprisonment and other penalties," said William Keyes, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, in
Mariarlene Brown, 44, was an employee at a Truist Bank branch in Valdosta, Georgia, during the conspiracy, according to prosecutors. Brown, who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, received a sentence to serve 33 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
As part of her plea agreement, Brown also agreed to an order barring her from future employment at any banks or credit unions.
Brown used her knowledge as a Truist employee to assist co-conspirator William Allen Roberts in depositing fraudulent checks and ensuring he could withdraw cash from the accounts. Roberts paid her for the services.
Investigators found text messages between Brown and Roberts in which they discussed the scheme, and Brown made monetary demands for her involvement.
Each of the eight individuals sentenced in Georgia pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. They collectively owe Truist $390,000 in restitution. The group had attempted to defraud Truist of over $1 million in total, according to prosecutors.
The scheme's mechanics and a USPS connection
The entire scheme originated with stolen financial data obtained from a postal service insider. Roberts unlawfully obtained check information from Vincent Galliard, 41, of Sumter, South Carolina, a former U.S. Post Office employee in South Carolina.
Galliard sold the checks he stole from the mail, which Roberts then used to produce fraudulent checks.
The co-conspirators employed a recruitment hierarchy to cash the counterfeit instruments. Frederick Pernell Green, Thomas Christopher Mitchell, Calvin Dewayne McKeithen, Tyler Khershad Jones, Dewayne Rasheen Butler and Davontay Wiseman recruited other individuals to open accounts at Truist.
These recruits provided their new Truist debit card and account information to the co-conspirators in exchange for payment. Roberts used this account information to write fraudulent checks payable to the recruited account holders.
After the deposits were made — often facilitated by Brown, who enabled early withdrawals of the deposits — Roberts, Green and others withdrew the cash. They then paid the recruited account holders a small portion, retaining the large majority of the funds for themselves.
Investigators discovered text messages detailing the conspiracy, photos of fraudulent checks, debit cards, account numbers and cash obtained from the scheme.
Investigators also found that Green had been wearing a custom-made diamond ring in the shape of the Truist logo.
Galliard, the former postal service employee, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the District of South Carolina and received a sentence of 30 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
The court ordered Galliard to pay $150,000 total in restitution, split among multiple banks: The Citizens Bank, First Citizens Bank, South Atlantic Bank, TD Bank, The Conway National Bank and Bank of America. The court records did not disambiguate between banks that share these names, so it is unclear which banks exactly were victims of the scheme.
Green must serve 122 months in prison — the longest term for the involved individuals.
