Skip to main content
Press Release

Georgia Man Sentenced To 51 Months In Bank Fraud And Identity Theft Scheme

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. – Jacquis Depree Nelson, 32, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced today to 51 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.  Nelson was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $261,552.00 to Wells Fargo Bank.

Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and William G. Frantzen, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior United States District Judge Robert E. Payne.

Nelson pleaded guilty on February 3, 2014.  According to court documents, he participated in a conspiracy involving the unauthorized withdrawal of over $260,000 from accounts held at Wells Fargo Bank.  Members of the conspiracy created false forms of identification for several real Wells Fargo accountholders, using personal identifying information obtained without lawful authority.  Nelson and his co-conspirators traveled from Georgia and other locations to bank branches in Virginia and South Carolina, where they posed as the individual accountholders.  Using customer account information and the false forms of identification, Nelson and his co-conspirators withdrew the funds from numerous Wells Fargo accounts between November 2012 and January 2013.  The co-conspirators divided the stolen proceeds among themselves following the withdrawals.

Nelson’s co-conspirator, Anthony Romey Carter, of Elk Grove, California, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced on August 8, 2013, to 61 months’ imprisonment for his role in the scheme. 

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service.  Assistant United States Attorneys Dominick S. Gerace and Michael Gill prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.
Updated March 18, 2015