Cleveland man charged with bank fraud, identity theft

A grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging Devin Cooper, 26, of Cleveland, with one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

The indictment alleges that Cooper executed a scheme to defraud Fifth Third Bank by fraudulently obtaining debit cards associated with three victim business accounts. The indictment further alleges that Cooper used these debit cards to make unauthorized purchases and cash withdrawals totaling over $290,000. The indictment also charges Cooper with unlawfully using the means of identification of two individual victims during the course of the Bank Fraud.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Kendra Klump following an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Parma Police Department.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.