Memphis Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Scheme to Defraud Financial Institutions

Memphis, TN – A Memphis man has been sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for committing bank fraud against financial institutions in the Memphis area. D. Michael Dunavant, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.

According to the indictment, from August 2011 through February 2016, Talmadge Garner and other co-conspirators participated in a deceptive scheme to defraud Orion Federal Credit Union, SunTrust Bank and Regions Bank by opening new accounts and/or using their existing accounts to deposit fraudulent checks. Garner also stole the identities of individuals to pass fraudulent checks to the Banks.

Nearly 200 fraudulent checks totaling over $130,000 were deposited into accounts at the Banks. Immediately after deposits were made in the banks, withdrawals were made by Garner and others. Garner would give co-conspirators some of the proceeds withdrawn from the banks.

On October 25, 2017, U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Garner to 57 months imprisonment and 3 years supervised release to begin after his incarceration.

The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Damon Keith Griffin prosecuted the case on the government’s behalf.