Four Members of Bank Fraud Ring Sentenced

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Four members of a multi-year bank fraud conspiracy, including a former bank teller who stole customer information, have been sentenced for fraudulently obtaining over $650,000 using the stolen identities of at least 25 victims.

According to court documents, Brianna Mills, 28, of Loganville, Georgia, abused her position as a bank teller to steal the personal identifying information (PII) of bank customers. Mills passed the information to her then-boyfriend, Stanley Desirade, 36, of Lanham, Maryland. Desirade used that PII to order fake identification documents from Desmond Nkwenya, 37, of Brookhaven, Georgia. These fake identification documents, which Nkwenya made according to Desirade’s specifications, usually included a victim’s PII but the face of a co-conspirator.

Once Nkwenya sent the fake identification documents to Desirade, Desirade provided them to Terrell Hale, 33, of Rockville, Maryland. At times, Hale supervised other co-conspirators as they went into the bank, impersonated the identity theft victim, and withdrew money from the victim’s account. During the conspiracy, the conspirators stole the PII of at least 25 customers and used that information to create at least 100 fake identification documents. Using these fake identification documents, the conspirators successfully stole approximately $660,082, and they attempted to steal an additional $1,008,134.

Desirade and Mills pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit identity fraud. Desirade was sentenced on September 29, 2023, to six years in prison, and Mills was sentenced on August 25, 2023, to 18 months in prison. Hale and Nkwenya pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Hale was sentenced on July 21, 2023, to four years in prison, and Nkwenya was sentenced today to 30 months in prison.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; David J. Scott, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division; Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division; and Matthew Stohler, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hood prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 1:23-cr-40 and 1:23-cr-60.