Bianca Vieux was arraigned at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn on July 20, facing charges alongside seven other defendants for their alleged involvement in a scheme to deposit falsified checks and produce fraudulent Social Security cards. Vieux was arrested on July 7 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Steven Boyce, Daija-Nek Johnson, Michelle Wilson, and Valeria Waldron were arrested on June 18 and previously arraigned. Christopher Walker and Destiny Mendez were previously charged, while one defendant remains at large. Two additional defendants, Aaron Warren and Tara Dildy, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud in May and are awaiting sentencing.
Several of the accused are current or former government employees. Walker is a New York City Correction Officer who allegedly made at least one fraudulent deposit while wearing his Department of Correction uniform. Waldron is a former New York City Correction Officer who later worked as a parole officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Boyce is employed as a track worker with the New York City Transit Authority. Warren and Dildy are also former correction officers.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation New York; and Nadia I. Shihata, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation, announced the arrests and charges.
“As alleged, the defendants conspired to create and deposit fake checks at various banks to line their own pockets at the expense of financial institutions,” said United States Attorney Nocella. “It is particularly egregious when individuals who took an oath to uphold the law and serve the public choose to commit serious federal crimes to serve themselves.”
IRS-CI Special Agent Chavis said, “Public employees who exploit their positions for fraud don’t just break the law—they break the public’s trust. These defendants allegedly turned their access into a multi‑million‑dollar scheme built on fake checks, fraudulent documents, and deception.”
According to DOI Commissioner Shihata, “As alleged in the superseding indictment…Vieux orchestrated the scheme…and solicited recruits to provide their debit cards and bank account information…. As Vieux herself said in a text message: ‘lol I scam the government not human beings[.] I don’t steal from people I still [sic] from banks[.]’”
The indictment alleges that Johnson, Mendez, Walker, Waldron, and Wilson received deposits from falsified checks into their accounts before making large cash withdrawals if funds cleared; Walker also hired others for further fraudulent activities while Boyce created fake Social Security cards for him.
In total, over $3 million worth of fictitious checks were created or deposited by those involved, with more than $500,000 obtained as proceeds spent on luxury items such as handbags or vacations.
The charges remain allegations; all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.