Two Cleveland residents were charged with defrauding banks out of at least $76,000 by using fake identities, said Carole S. Rendon, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
Delon Roberson, 25, and Shameka Roberson, 26, were charged with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with a scheme to defraud Key Bank by depositing closed-account checks into the bank accounts of various individuals recruited into the scheme, and later withdrawing funds under false pretenses, according to the indictment.
Delon Roberson used the social media site Facebook to recruit numerous local individuals to open accounts or turn over their bank ATM or debit cards and PINs. Delon Roberson and Shameka Roberson then caused the deposit of at least 138 fraudulent checks totaling more than $159,000 into the bank accounts of the recruited individuals. At least $76,000 was later withdrawn from the accounts through ATM transactions and debit card purchases between May 2015 and April 2016, according to the indictment.
Assistant United States Attorney Robert W. Kern is prosecuting this case, following an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
If convicted, the court will determine the defendants’ sentence after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendants’ prior criminal record, if any, the defendants’ role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum. In most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
