Columbia Man Sentenced for Bank Fraud Scheme

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Columbia, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a bank fraud conspiracy that used stolen mail and fake identifications to cash nearly $160,000 in fraudulent checks in Webster County, Mo., and elsewhere.

Michael Anthony Spears, 37, of Columbia, was sentenced on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015, by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to seven years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Spears to pay restitution of $114,127, which represents the ill-gottenproceeds the co-conspirators bilked from 14 separate banks.

On Feb. 3, 2015, Spears pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to defraud more than a dozen banks from July 31, 2013, to Feb. 28, 2014, by passing counterfeited and forged checks with fake identification documents. At least 12 co-conspirators stole mail, printed counterfeit checks, passed counterfeit checks with fake identification and opened at least five fictitious businesses for the sole purpose of concealing the deposit and subsequent withdrawal of counterfeit checks.

Co-defendant Phillip Daren Shockey, 49, of Crawford, has also pleaded guilty to his role as the leader of the conspiracy. Shockey made false identification documents and produced counterfeit checks using account information from mail stolen by others in the conspiracy. Shockey used motel rooms to set up a work station consisting of computers, printers, scanners, a camera, a blue hanging sheet for ID photos, and other items to produce false identification cards and counterfeit checks.

Spears met Shockey in jail and Shockey later contacted him after they both were released from jail.

Spears was a major pawn in the bank fraud scheme. He established fake Missouri Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) in his name to facilitate the passage of fraudulent checks for himself and Shockey. He stole mail in order to provide Shockey with personal identifying information to produce fake identification documents for him and others. He opened bank accounts using fake identification documents and also used fake identification documents of banks customers and others in or order to pass and attempt to pass fraudulent checks drawn upon the banks. Spears passed and attempted to pass 24 checks that he received from Shockey for a loss of at least $159,842.

Other members of the conspiracy sold cattle and then used the financial information from the checks they received from the cattle sale in order to make additional counterfeit checks. Still other members of the conspiracy, including Spears, passed counterfeit checks.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Abram McGull, II. It was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service Financial Crimes Task Force, the U.S. Postal Service – Criminal Investigations, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Tulsa, Okla., Police Department, the Jasper County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Webster County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Columbia, Mo., Police Department, the Blue Springs, Mo., Police Department, the Monett, Mo., Police Department, the Pierce City, Mo., Police Department, the St. Clair County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Rolla, Mo., Police Department and the Catoosa, Okla., Police Department.