AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885

AUGUST 31, 2007

SELF-PROCLAIMED SULTANA CONVICTED OF COUNTERFEITING

Obtained Over $200,000 By Printing and Cashing Counterfeit Money Orders

Greenbelt, Maryland - A federal jury has convicted Edna Gorham-Bey, age 58, formerly of Temple Hills, Maryland, of conspiracy, bank fraud, passing counterfeit money orders, possession of false identification documents and possession of implements for making false identification documents, in connection with a scheme to pass counterfeit money orders using false identification documents, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. The jury returned the verdict late yesterday afternoon.

According to trial testimony, Gorham-Bey, the self-proclaimed Sultana of the United States Moorish-American Nation, conspired with co-defendant Sultan David Rosser-El, age 60, formerly of Temple Hills, Maryland, from July 2001 to September 2002 to copy legitimate postal money orders they purchased from U.S. post offices by scanning them into a computer, altering the face value and printing the forged money orders. The evidence showed that Gorham-Bey and Rosser-El negotiated the original, legitimate money orders at a bank or post office, or returned them to the post office for a cash refund. They negotiated the forged, counterfeited and altered postal money orders at banks, post offices and check cashing businesses. To pass off the fraudulent money orders, Gorham-Bey and Rosser-El maintained aliases by using the identities of real and fictitious persons, and created means of identification such as driver’s licenses in the names of aliases. Gorham-Bey’s participation in the conspiracy caused banks and the U.S. Postal Service losses of more than $200,000.

Gorham-Bey faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for bank fraud; 15 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of false identification documents and possession of implements for making false identification documents; and 5 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy and passing counterfeit money orders. U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus scheduled sentencing for December 10, 2007 at 3:00 p.m. and ordered that Gorham-Bey be taken into custody pending her sentencing.

Rosser-El pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud banks on July 31, 2007 and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 1, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for the conspiracy.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for its investigative work. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart A. Berman and James A. Crowell IV, who are prosecuting the case.