Four Men Indicted For Bank Fraud And Identity Theft
BIRMINGHAM – A federal grand jury today indicted four men for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Keith Morris announced.
An indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges CHARLES HENRY ROSS JR., 41, of the Birmingham area, and DAVID WAYNE THOMPSON, 42, and CHRISTOPHER M. STEVENS, 37, both of the Atlanta area, with defrauding and attempting to defraud Bryant Bank and Central State Bank by passing counterfeit checks. The indictment further charges ROSS, THOMPSON, and WILLIAM CHRISTOPHER MANNING JR., 48, also of the Atlanta area, with defrauding and attempting to defraud Central State Bank and Union State Bank. The indictment also charges that all four men committed aggravated identity theft by using real account holders' names on the face of each counterfeit check.
"I applaud the collaborative work of law enforcement in this case," Vance said. "The police departments in Pelham and Trussville joined with U.S. postal inspectors and the U.S. Secret Service to stop this counterfeit scheme. Multi-state identity fraud rings are a dangerous and growing trend, and cooperative work by law enforcement, across jurisdictions, is critical to effectively prosecuting these types of cases," she said.
"Organized identity theft and fraud schemes continue to plague the American public," Morris said. "As long as thieves target the U.S. mail in order to further their criminal enterprises, postal inspectors will continue to target those responsible," he said.
Ross and Thompson each face six counts of bank fraud, while Stevens and Manning face three counts each. In addition, Ross faces four charges of aggravated identity theft, Thompson faces three counts of that charge, Manning faces two, and Stevens faces one.
Upon conviction, each man faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for each count of bank fraud. In addition, each aggravated identity theft conviction carries a mandatory two-year sentence and a maximum $250,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the North Alabama Identity Theft Task Force, including the Pelham Police Department, Trussville Police Department, U.S. Secret Service, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa K. Atwood is prosecuting the case.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government's burden to prove a defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
