Two individuals pled guilty for endorsing and cashing stolen and fraudulently obtained United States Treasury checks.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement.
Pete Hoggins, 32, and Hani Sobhi Alshaikh, a/k/a “Danny", 35, both of the Southern District of Florida, each pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit forgery and theft of public money, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. Hoggins also pled guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A. The defendants face a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison for the conspiracy charge, and Hoggins also faces a mandatory term of two years in prison, consecutive to any other term of imprisonment, for the aggravated identity theft charge.
According to court documents, Alshaikh worked at a gas station in Pompano Beach, Florida. On multiple occasions from December 2011 to January 2014, Hoggins brought Alshaikh stolen and fraudulently obtained Treasury checks to cash at this gas station. Hoggins and Alshaikh forged the payees’ endorsements on the Treasury checks. Alshaikh then deposited those checks into several different business checking accounts that he had opened at various banks in the name of his company, HSA Investment Group.
The total number of victims in the scheme was more than 50, but less than 250. The total amount of intended loss was more than $200,000 but less than $250,000.
Hoggins is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 2, 2015 at 10:30 a.m., and Alshaikh is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 29, 2015 at 10:00 a.m., both before United States District Judge William J. Zloch.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of IRS-CI. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia E. Shick.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
