Portsmouth Man Sentenced For His Participation In Bank Fraud

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Dominique Avery, 20, of Portsmouth, Va., was sentenced today to eight-seven months in prison and ordered to pay in excess of $197,000 in restitution, for his participation in a conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

            Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.

            According to court documents, Avery was involved in a yearlong conspiracy targeting at least five financial institutions, including ABNB Federal Credit Union and Navy Federal Credit Union, and over two dozen individuals and businesses. The defendant and others stole and/or purchased identities and applied for checking and savings accounts via online portals with minimal amounts.  The conspirators then caused a third party check issuing service to send dozens of fraudulent checks to various vendors and individuals. Avery was arrested in August, 2012, while attempting to purchase two vehicles with fraudulent ABNB checks. The total intended losses exceed $737,000. 

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the United States Postal Inspectors Service. Assistant United States Attorney Brian J. Samuels 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.