U.S. District Judge Sentences Three Defendants Involved In Warner Robins Bank Fraud Scheme

MACON – The defendant believed to be the ringleader in a mail theft and check cashing ring in the Warner Robins community was sentenced to more than seven months imprisonment followed by six months of home confinement by a U.S. District Judge today, said U.S. Attorney Charles “Charlie” Peeler. Mozell Wright, Jr., 36, of Warner Robins previously pleaded guilty to Bank Fraud on April 9, 2019 before The Honorable Tilman E. Self in U.S. District Court in Macon. Mr. Wright’s term of confinement will be followed by three years of supervised release. Two of Mr. Wright’s co-defendants – Bradley Rumph, Jr. 26, of Warner Robins, and Tara Blanks, 46, of Warner Robins – also pleaded guilty on bank fraud charges and were sentenced today to two years of supervised release. Defendants are also required to make restitution payments to the victim in this case. Charges against the five remaining co-defendants are pending.

According to facts in the signed plea agreement, Mr. Wright obtained the personal information of a victim and beginning on March 30, 2017, attempted to deposit or cash approximately $15,795.85 worth of fraudulent checks, along with Mr. Rumph, Ms. Blanks, and their co-defendants, at various banks in Houston County, Georgia from the victim’s bank account until May 17, 2017, the day before Mr. Wright was taken into custody. Investigators found hundreds of pieces of mail that included the identifying information of 23 separate victims, check stock and partially completed personal checks with illegally obtained personal information, financial document printing instructions and gauges for printing documents to scale, a computer with electronic versions of these phony checks and several hand-written notes with bank account and routing numbers.

“The use of an unsuspecting individual’s personal identifying information to commit crimes is a growing concern in the Middle District,” said Charlie Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. “Our office will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to prosecute criminals involved in identity theft. I want to thank the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Warner Robins Police Department for their work uncovering this fraud and protecting our citizens.”

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and Warner Robins Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker is prosecuting the case for the Government. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.