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United States v. Andre Taylor, et. al.: Court Docket Number: 20-CR-20515

In an effort to assist those individuals who have been affected by this case, this webpage has been developed to provide court and case related information. This does not replace written notification to those identified as victims of the charged offenses, it simply provides an additional resource from which to obtain information.

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan is open to the public and resuming in-person court hearings.   Please note however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an extreme backlog in case events which may result in adjournments of scheduled hearing dates.   If you plan on attending a scheduled hearing, please contact Sandy Palazzolo at 313-226-9633 or Sherri Holloway at 313-226-9753.   You may also check the United States District Court's Webpage for hearings which will take place via the internet.   Please access  www.mied.uscourts.gov.


 

Defendant Andre Taylor has been charged in United States District Court with crimes involving the theft of unemployment benefits, identity theft, and credit card fraud using illegally obtained personal identification information beginning approximately from December, 2019, through at least October, 2020.

Defendant Andre Taylor obtained stolen mail, of which contained credit and debit cards. Defendant Taylor was able to obtain money and property utilizing these stolen access devices without the knowledge and/or consent of the rightful owner of those cards. 

There are also allegations of Unemployment Insurance Fraud, in which the defendant used fraudulent personal identification information to obtain unemployment benefit payments. 

Victims are encouraged to reach out to the credit bureau reporting companies advising them of the compromise of your personal identification information.  Victims may be able to obtain a copy or their

credit report and place a fraud alert on their record to aid in the prevention of potential future fraud.   Contacting at least one of the credit reporting agencies (Equifax (800)525-6285; Experian (888)397-3742;

TransUnion (800)680-7289) will provide you with the opportunity to obtain credit bureau reports so you can check for any past or current fraudulent activity.

Please visit www.ftc.gov/idtheft and www.fraudsupport.org for more detailed instructions, forms and information.   

Please note that these charges are accusations.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

For a copy of the FTC Identity Theft Brochure, please click HERE

For a copy of the FraudSupport.org information, please click HERE

 


12/6/2021 - The Plea Hearing originally scheduled for December 20, 2021 has been adjourned.  The Plea Hearing is rescheduled for December 22, 2021 at 9:00 a.m.   NOTE:  This hearing will NOT take place in person, but instead will be accessible via online/ZOOM.  

To view these proceedings, access the U.S. District Court website on December 22, 2021 at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the proceedings.  The U.S. District Court website can be accessed via the following link: United States District Court -- Eastern Michigan District (uscourts.gov).   On the right side of the home screen click on the navigation button identified as "Court Calendar for....".   The next screen will display a list of court hearings for the date you are accessing the calendar.   If you are accessing the website on December 22, 2021, a list of the scheduled court hearings for that date will be listed.   Scroll to the appropriate case and click the box identified "Access Attendance Information".   Proceed as directed by the U.S. District Court to view the hearing.   It is recommended that viewers begin their log in 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. 

Individuals who wish to attend are encouraged to contact Sherri Holloway (313-226-9753) or Sandy Palazzolo (313-226-9633) to confirm the date and time. 


11/16/2021 - The Plea Hearing and tentative Trial dates have been adjourned.   The judge has rescheduled the Plea Hearing for December 20, 2021 at 2:00 p.m.  Should the defendant not plead guilty on or before this date, a tentative Trial date has been scheduled for January 10, 2022. 

Please note it is not unusual for these dates and times to change.  Individuals who wish to attend these hearings are encouraged to contact Sherri Holloway (313-226-9753) or Sandy Palazzolo (313-226-9633) to confirm the date and time.


10/20/2021 - The Pretrial Conference/Plea Hearing and tentative Trial have been adjourned.   The judge has rescheduled the Plea Hearing to take place on November 16, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.   Should the defendant not plead guilty on or before this date, a tentative Trial date has been scheduled for December 13, 2021 at 8:30 a.m.   

Please note it is not unusual for these dates and times to change.  Individuals who wish to attend these hearings are encouraged to contact Sherri Holloway (313-226-9753) or Sandy Palazzolo (313-226-9633) to confirm the date and time.


8/19/2021 - Charges have been filed against defendants Jonathan Brooks, Jordyn Merriewether, and Alexandra Thomas in connection with the offenses relating to defendant Andre Taylor.  The additional defendants were letter carriers employed by the United States Postal Service in the Eastern District of Michigan.  These defendants knowingly conspired with other individuals to steal mail matter.  The mail matter taken includes credit cards taken from the respective mail carriers' mail routes as well as providing access to a "postal key."   A postal key enables a user to open "cluster boxes" in specific locations.  Cluster boxes are centralized mailbox units of individually locked compartments for the delivery and collection of mail, commonly seen in apartment or condominium complexes. 

On July 19, 2021, defendant Brooks pled guilty to one charge of Conspiracy To Commit Offense Or To Defraud The United States.

On July 29, 2021, defendant Merriewether pled guilty to one charge of Conspiracy To Commit Offense Or To Defraud The United States.

The Plea Hearing and tentative Trial for defendant Taylor has been adjourned.   A tentative Trial has been scheduled to begin on November 15, 2021 at 8:30 a.m.  A final Pretrial Conference has been scheduled to take place on October 20, 2021 at 3:30 p.m.

Please note it is not unusual for these dates and times to change.  Individuals who wish to attend these hearings are encouraged to contact Sherri Holloway (313-226-9753) or Sandy Palazzolo (313-226-9633) to confirm the date and time.


2/8/2021 – A tentative Plea Hearing has been scheduled to take place on August 4, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. before the Honorable Mark Goldsmith.  

Should the Plea not take place, a tentative Trial has been scheduled to begin on September 13, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. 

A Status Hearing has been scheduled to take place on August 31, 2021 at 2:00 p.m.

Please note it is not unusual for these dates and times to change.  Individuals who wish to attend these hearings are encouraged to contact Sherri Holloway (313-226-9753) or Sandy Palazzolo (313-226-9633) to confirm the date and time.

Updated December 6, 2021