Anchorage, Alaska - U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that four Fairbanks residents were charged in a 15-count indictment alleging that the four conspired to obtain checks stolen from the mail and a local business, and then negotiated the stolen checks at different banks and stores in Fairbanks.
Shawn DeHart, 44, Jeremy David McGee, 51, Jonathon Gustafson, 27, and Nathan Lehman, 28, all of Fairbanks, were charged in a 15-count indictment that includes charges of conspiracy, bank fraud, possession of stolen mail, and aggravated identity theft.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Aunnie Steward, who presented the case to the grand jury, DeHart, McGee, Gustafson and Lehman conspired together to use stolen checks at banks and stores in Anchorage from October 2016 to December 2016, when they were caught.
DeHart and McGee appeared in court today on the charges. Lehman and Gustafson are scheduled to appear in court on March 21, 2017.
The law provides for a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a fine of $1 million or both. Under federal sentencing statutes, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
The Alaska State Troopers, with assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service, conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
