United States v. Deavon Allen; Cole Patrick Castelow; Malik Frazier; Ronald Reese

Court Docket Number: 21-CR-20640

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.   Direct written notification will be provided via e-mail only.    Directions for signing up for e-mail notification has been directly mailed to those identified as victims.  

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.

Defendants Deavon Allen, Cole Patrick Castelow, Malik Frazier, and Ronald Reese have been charged in United States District Court with crimes involving the theft of mail and identity theft using illegally obtained personal identification information beginning approximately from late in the year of 2018 through, at least March 2019.

The defendants obtained items of value, including checks, credit cards, credit card information and identification, from the mail they stole, which they then used for their personal enrichment.  

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 of 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.

To access a copy of the 40 page FTC Recovery Plan guide, please click the following link: https://www.bulkorder.ftc.gov/system/files/publications/501a_idt_a_recovery_plan_508.pdf

05/19/2023 - A hearing before Judge Terrence G. Berg is scheduled for May 26, 2023, at 10:00AM, regarding the detention or release of defendant Malik Deonte-Shaheed-Shareff Frazier.

Defendant Deavon Allen was sentenced by Judge Terrence G. Berg to a term of 27 months imprisonment.   Following release from prison he will be under supervised release for a term of 3 years by the United States Probation Department.  Restitution is ordered, joint and several with the co-defendants in this case, in the total amount of $141,419.21.

A copy of the judgment is included here (judgment attached)

05/16/2023 - A hearing before Judge Terrence G. Berg is scheduled for May 26, 2023, at 10:00AM, regarding the detention or release of defendant Malik Deonte-Shaheed-Shareff Frazier.

Defendant Deavon Allen was sentenced by Judge Terrence G. Berg to a term of 27 months imprisonment.   Following release from prison he will be under supervised release for a term of 3 years by the United States Probation Department.  Restitution is ordered, joint and several with the co-defendants in this case, in the total amount of $141,419.21.

A copy of the judgment is included here

05/09/2023 - The sentencing hearing for defendant Deavon Allen set for May 09, 2023 has been re-set from 3:00 p.m. to 3:30pm before the Honorable Terrence Berg, United States District Court, 231 W. Lafayette, Courtroom 251, Detroit, MI 48226.  

The sentencing hearing scheduled for defendant Cole Patrick Castelow on May 9, 2023 has been rescheduled  to June 14, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.

4/19/2023 - The sentencing hearing scheduled for defendant Cole Patrick Castelow on April 18, 2023 has been ADJOURNED.   The sentencing hearing is now scheduled to take place on May 9, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.  

Should you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact Sherri Holloway at 313-226-9753.

02/09/2023 - On November 30, 2022, defendant Deavon Allen entered a plea of guilty to the following criminal offenses:  Theft or Receipt of Stolen Mail Matter and Bank or Financial Institution Fraud. 

The sentencing hearing has been rescheduled from April 6, 2023, to May 09, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. before the Honorable Terrence Berg, United States District Court, 231 W. Lafayette, Courtroom 251, Detroit, MI 48226.  

Victims have the right to complete a Victim Impact Statement and/or Declaration of Financial Losses advising the court the impact and the financial losses which the offenses have had on them.  Please access copies of these documents along with submission instructions in the web page entry dated 11/18/2022 below. 

Victims are welcome to attend these proceedings.  Please be advised these hearings are subject to change with very short notice.  Should this occur again, the new dates and times will be posted to this webpage as soon as possible.  Should you have questions, need further assistance, or plan on attending any of the court proceedings, please contact Sherri Holloway at 313-226-9753.  

1/30/2023 - The Trial date previously scheduled for Malik Frazier has been adjourned.   The new Trial date has been scheduled for June 22, 2023 at 9:00 a.m.    A Status Hearing has been scheduled to take place on June 8, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.  The purpose of the Status Hearing is to determine if there are issues that the Court needs to address and to schedule any necessary future court dates.  

All hearings will be held in the Theodore Levin United States District Court, 231 W. Lafayette, Courtroom 251, Detroit, MI 48226, before the Honorable Terrence Berg.

Should you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact Sherri Holloway at 313-226-9753.

1/12/2023 - The Sentencing Hearing originally scheduled for defendant Cole Patrick Castelow on March 23, 2023 has been ADJOURNED.   The Sentencing Hearing is now scheduled to take place on April 18, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.  

Should you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact Sherri Holloway at 313-226-9753.

12/12/2022 - On November 30, 2022, defendant Deavon Allen entered a plea of guilty to the following criminal offenses:  Theft or Receipt of Stolen Mail Matter and Bank or Financial Institution Fraud.  A Sentencing Hearing has been scheduled for April 6, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. before the Honorable Terrence Berg, United States District Court, 231 W. Lafayette, Courtroom 251, Detroit, MI 48226.  

On December 7, 2022, defendant Ronald Keith Reese entered a plea of guilty tot he following criminal offenses:  Possession of Stolen Mail and Bank Fraud & Aiding and Abetting.  A Sentencing Hearing has been scheduled for April 20, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. before the Honorable Terrence Berg, United States District Court, 231 W. Lafayette, Courtroom 251, Detroit, MI 48226.

Victims have the right to complete a Victim Impact Statement and/or Declaration of Financial Losses advising the court the impact and the financial losses which the offenses have had on them.  Please access copies of these documents along with submission instructions in the web page entry dated 11/18/2022 below. 

Victims are welcome to attend these proceedings.  Please be advised these hearings are subject to change with very short notice.  Should this occur, the new dates and times will be posted to this webpage as soon as possible.  Should you have questions, need further assistance, or plan on attending any of the court proceedings, please contact Sherri Holloway at 313-226-9753 or Sandy Palazzolo at 313-226-9633.  

11/18/2022 - On November 4, 2022, defendant Cole Patrick Castelow entered a plea of guilty to the following criminal offenses:  Fraud and Related Activity; Theft or Receipt of Stolen Mail Matter; and Bank or Financial Institution Fraud. 

A Sentencing Hearing has been scheduled for Cole Patrick Castelow for March 23, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. before the Honorable Terrence Berg, United States District Court, 231 W. Lafayette, Courtroom 251, Detroit, MI 48226.  Victims are welcome to attend these proceedings.  

Victims have a right to complete a Victim Impact Statement advising the court of the impact the offenses have had on them and/or their families.   In addition, victims are entitled to request restitution for financial losses associated with the victimization.  Please access the Victim Impact Statement form and Declaration of Financial Losses forms below.   Documents MUST be completed and submitted to the following individuals on or before Friday, December 30, 2022.   Please e-mail submissions to sherri.holloway@usdoj.gov; william_hampstead@miep.uscourts.gov; sandy.palazzolo@usdoj.gov.   Questions may also be submitted to any of the e-mail addresses identified. 

The Plea Hearing previously scheduled for defendant Ronald Keith Reese has be rescheduled to November 29, 2022 at 3:30 p.m

Defendant Deavon Romell Allen is scheduled to enter a plea of guilty before the Honorable Terrence Berg on November 30, 2022 at 11:30 a.m.

All hearings will take place in the Theodore Levin United States District Court, 231 W. Lafayette, Courtroom 251, Detroit, MI 48226.   PLEASE NOTE:   Zoom access for viewing the proceedings is no longer available.   All hearings will take place in person.   Please be advised that these dates and times are subject to change with very short notice.   Should this occur, the new dates and times will be posted to this webpage as soon as possible.

To access a copy of the Victim Impact Statement, please click HERE
To access a copy of the Probation Dept. Declaration of Financial Losses Letter, please click HERE
To access a copy of the Declaration of Financial Losses form, please click HERE

Should you have any questions, need further assistance, or plan on attending any of the proceedings, please contact Sherri Holloway at 313-226-9753 or Sandy Palazzolo at 313-226-9633. 

11/4/2022 - Defendant Cole Patrick Castelow is scheduled to enter a plea of guilty before the Honorable Terrence Berg on November 4, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.   

                     Defendant Ronald Keith Reese is scheduled to enter a plea of guilty before the Honorable Terrence Berg on November 10, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.

                     Defendant Deavon Romell Allen is scheduled to enter a plea of guilty before the Honorable Terrence Berg on November 30, 2022 at 11:30 a.m.

All hearings will take place in the Theodore Levin United States District Court, 231 W. Lafayette, Courtroom 251, Detroit, MI 48226.   PLEASE NOTE:  Zoom access for viewing proceedings is no longer available.   All hearings will take place in person.  Please be advised that these dates and times are subject to change with very short notice.   Should this occur, the new dates and times will be posted to this webpage as soon as possible. 

Should you have any questions, need further assistance, or plan on attending any of the proceedings, please contact Sherri Holloway at 313-226-9753 or Sandy Palazzolo at 313-226-9633.

8/20/2021 - The Preliminary Exam for Deavon Allen, originally scheduled for August 24, 2021, has been adjourned.  The new date is scheduled for October 15, 2021 at 1:00 p.m.  This hearing is accessible for viewing via Zoom Meeting.   There will be no in-person attendance permitted for this hearing.   If you wish to view this hearing, please access the court calendar via www.mied.uscourts.gov to request that a view only access link be sent to you.  Identify the date of the hearing you are seeking, scroll to the appropriate time, clink on the request access link and follow the prompts. 

Should you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact Sherri Holloway at 313-226-9753 or Sandy Palazzolo@ 313-226-9633.

7/19/2021 – A Preliminary Exam for defendants Cole Patrick Castelow; Malik Frazier; and Ronald Reese is currently scheduled for August 16, 2021 at 1:00 p.m.  A Preliminary Exam for defendant Deavon Allen is currently scheduled for August 24, 2021 at 1:00 p.m.  These hearings are accessible for viewing via Zoom Meeting.   There will be no in-person attendance permitted for these hearings.   If you wish to view this hearing, please access the court calendar via www.mied.uscourts.gov to request that a view only access link be sent to you.  Identify the date of the hearing you are seeking, scroll to the appropriate time, clink on the request access link and follow the prompts. 

Should you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact Sherri Holloway at 313-226-9753 or Sandy Palazzolo@ 313-226-9633.