U.S. vs Harris

Update 10/25/2024

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama has set a restitution hearing to make a final determination of victims' losses for December 3, 2024 at 1:00 PM. Accordingly, all claims for restitution must be must be received by December 1, 2024. If you are a victim of Mr. Harris or the “Work Related” channel and believe that you may be entitled to restitution, please contact the FBI at megrose@fbi.gov or the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama at tonja.benninger@usdoj.gov.

Update 9/19/2024

On September 11, 2024, U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala sentenced Mekhi Diwone Harris to 120 months in prison and ordered him to forfeit $160,000. The Court also indicated that it would set a restitution hearing in order to reimburse victims for any losses they suffered as a result of the “Work Related” Telegram channel. If you are a victim of Mr. Harris or the “Work Related” channel and believe that you may be entitled to restitution, please contact the FBI at megrose@fbi.gov or the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama at tonja.benninger@usdoj.gov.

Update August 24

Sentencing is set for 9/11/2024 at 11:00 AM in Hugo L Black US Courthouse, Birmingham, AL before Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala.

On April 15, 2024, defendant Mekhi Diwone Harris pled guilty to the charges listed below.

Number of Charges                      Description of Charge(s)                            Disposition       

1                                                       Attempt and conspiracy fraud                 Guilty

The sentencing hearing for defendant(s), Mekhi Diwone Harris, has been set for August 14, 2024, 02:00 PM at

Hugo L Black US Courthouse, Birmingham, AL before Judge Madeline Haikala.

An arraignment is scheduled before Judge Nicholas Danella on December 14, 2023, 09:30 AM at Hugo L Black US Courthouse, Birmingham, AL for the case which involves defendant(s) Mekhi Diwone Harris. The main purpose of this hearing is for the defendant to enter a plea to the charges filed in this case. Your attendance is not required. The government expects the defendant to enter a plea of not guilty at this hearing. If the plea is guilty, you will be notified.

United States v. Defendant(s) Mekhi Diwone Harris Case Number 2023R00398 and Court Docket Number 23-CR-00325

Charges have been filed against defendant(s) Mekhi Diwone Harris, 2023R00398, Criminal Court Record 23-CR-00325-MHH-GMB-2. The lead prosecutor for this case is EDWARD J. CANTER. The main charge is categorized as Computer Crime. As an identified victim, you should have received a letter from the Federal Bureau of Investigation dated November 6, 2023, regarding this case. The FBI's Birmingham Division sent the letter for the investigation Telegram Chat called "Work Related Slips". The "Work Related" channel sells checks issued by businesses. The administrator of the channel uses the usernames"01iHK" and "01iHK1" and mails the stolen checks to the purchaser.

Due to the large number of victims in this matter, you will likely no receive additional correspondence by mail, but notice will continue to be available to get updates by VNS and at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndal/us-vs-harris.

Victims of all crimes under federal investigation are entitled to services under the Victims' Rights and Restitution Act (VRRA), including notification of court events. For further details, please refer to Title 34 United States Code section 20141 or the VRRA link posted at https://www.notify.usdoj.gov.

Now that charges have been filed in federal court, victims of the charges filed are, in addition, entitled to the following rights, according to the Crime Victims' Rights Act, Title 18 United States Code section 3771: (1) The right to be reasonably protected from the accused; (2) The right to reasonable, accurate, and timely notice of any public court proceeding, or any parole proceeding, involving the crime or of any release or escape of the accused; (3) The right not to be excluded from any such public court proceeding, unless the court, after receiving clear and convincing evidence, determines that testimony by the victim would be materially altered if the victim heard other testimony at that proceeding; (4) The right to be reasonably heard at any public, proceeding in the district court involving release, plea, sentencing, or any parole proceeding; (5) The reasonable right to confer with the attorney for the Government in the case; (6) The right to full and timely restitution as provided in law; (7) The right to proceedings free from unreasonable delay; (8) The right to be treated with fairness and with respect for the victim's dignity and privacy; (9) The right to be informed in a timely manner of any plea bargain or deferred prosecution agreement; and (10) The right to be informed of the rights under this section and the services described in section 503(c) of the Victims' Rights and Restitution Act of 1990 (34 U.S.C. 20141(c)) and provided contact information for the Office of the Victims' Rights Ombudsman of the Department of Justice. Please understand that these rights apply only to victims of the counts charged in federal court, and thus you may not be able to exercise all of these rights if the crime of which you are a victim was not charged. In any event, we will continue to provide you with notifications and services unless you tell us not to. We will make our best efforts to ensure you are provided the rights and services to which you are entitled. You may contact the Victim/Witness Coordinator at the office listed above if you have questions about the progress of your case, your rights or the services to which you are entitled, or how you can assert them during the proceedings. If you believe that a Justice Department employee has not provided you with these rights, you may file a complaint with the Justice Department’s Victims’ Rights Ombudsman. For more information, go to http://www.justice.gov/usao/resources/crime-victims-rights-ombudsman. If you have questions about filing a complaint against an employee, you may contact the Ombudsman by email at usaeo.VictimOmbudsman@usdoj.gov. Questions concerning this case should be directed to office listed above. It is important to keep in mind that the defendant(s) are presumed innocent until proven guilty and that presumption requires both the Court and our office to take certain steps to ensure that justice is served. While our office cannot act as your attorney or provide you with legal advice, you can seek the advice of an attorney with respect to the rights above or other related legal matters.

As of August 14, 2023, Mekhi Diwone Harris is not in the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service.