Atlanta Man Indicted in Pittsburgh on Charges Relating to Check Fraud Scheme

PITTSBURGH, PA- A resident of Atlanta, Georgia has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges related to check fraud, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.

The indictment, returned on April 13 and unsealed today, charged Joshua Buice, 36, with one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States.

According to the Indictment, from in and around April 2019 to in and around January 2020, the defendant conspired to steal mail matter from the United States mail for the purpose of stealing checks. The legitimate checks were drawn on accounts of businesses operating in interstate commerce and were drawn on accounts at financial institutions then insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. These checks were altered by changing the payee names to the names of individuals recruited to cash the fraudulent checks.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 5 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Brian M. Czarnecki is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.