FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or
MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885
August 7, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BALTIMORE MAN SENTENCED TO 4 YEARS IN PRISON IN SCHEME TO CASH OVER $100,000 IN STOLEN TREASURY CHECKS
Two Other Defendants Convicted
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Michael Hawkins, age 50, of Baltimore, today to four years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit mail fraud, forged endorsement on a treasury check and aggravated identity theft, in connection with a scheme to steal treasury checks from the mail and cash the checks using false identity documents, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.
Co-defendant Chamarko Amin, age 37, of Temple Hills, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with the scheme. Yesterday, a federal jury convicted another co-defendant, Tandria Boyd, age 37, of Baltimore, on charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail fraud, forged endorsement on a treasury check and aggravated identity theft for her role in the scheme.
According to their plea agreements and the testimony at Boyd’s four day trial, beginning in March, 2006 and continuing until May, 2007, Hawkins, Boyd and others cashed stolen Treasury checks using fake Maryland driver’s licenses bearing their photograph and the names and addresses of the intended recipients of the stolen checks. Hawkins and Boyd received the checks from a co-conspirator, and received a percentage of the money they obtained by cashing them. Hawkins and Boyd gave the rest of the money to the co-conspirator. The co-conspirator got the checks from a United States Postal Service employee, Leonard Jenkins, who stole the checks from the mail. Amin created the false Maryland driver’s licenses and he and co-defendant Derek Taylor distributed them to members of the conspiracy who cashed the stolen treasury checks.
Hawkins personally cashed at least eight stolen Treasury checks, totaling $18,883, using false Maryland driver’s licenses bearing Hawkins’ photograph and the names and addresses of the individuals who were the intended recipients of the stolen Treasury checks. According to trial testimony, Boyd cashed a check for $3,406 in the same manner. Altogether, the conspirators cashed over $100,000 in stolen United States Treasury checks.
Amin is scheduled to be sentenced on October 23, 2009, at 9:15 a.m. On July 22, 2009, Leonard Jenkins, age 27, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to mail fraud, theft of mail and aggravated identity theft. Jenkins is scheduled to be sentenced on November 3, 2009 at 9:15 a.m. Boyd’s sentencing date has not been set.
Derrick Taylor, age 43, of Baltimore, was sentenced to 51 months in prison, for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft, and was also ordered to pay restitution of $104,446.35.
To date, ten defendants, including Amin and Boyd, have been convicted for participating in this scheme and four of those, including Hawkins, have been sentenced.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Secret Service; the Department of Transportation - Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Inspector General; and the District of Columbia Office of Inspector General for their investigative work and recognized the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia for their assistance in this case. Mr. Rosenstein commended Assistant United States Attorneys Tamera L. Fine and Emily Glatfelter, who are prosecuting the case.