New Haven Man Sentenced to Prison for Role in Check Fraud Ring

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BRANDON KEY BENTLEY, 31, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 12 months and one day of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role in a check fraud ring.

According to court documents and statements made in court, between July 2010 and May 2011, BENTLEY, Langston Neal and Benjii Carr obtained stolen checks, recruited “runners” who cashed the checks, and altered the checks to list the runners as the lawful payees.  The three individuals drove the runners to several Connecticut bank branches and directed them to enter the banks and cash the checks.  The runners were paid a small part of the cash proceeds.  Through this scheme, 39 checks totaling $114,102.34 were altered and presented to banks, and 37 of those checks totaling $104,070.94 were cashed by the banks.

On September 9, 2014, BENTLEY pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

Neal, of Charlotte, N.C., and Carr, of New Haven, previously pleaded guilty to the same charge and were sentenced to prison terms of 18 months and 30 months, respectively.

Each of the three defendants was ordered to pay full restitution.

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, along with the Connecticut Financial Fraud Task Force and the Branford, Madison, Middlebury, Milford, New Britain, New Haven, New Milford, North Branford, Waterbury, Woodbridge and Southbury Police Departments.  U.S. Attorney Daly also acknowledged the cooperation and assistance of the State’s Attorney’s Offices for the Judicial Districts of New Haven, Waterbury, Fairfield and Tolland.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry K. Kopel.