Sherry Ozmore, a 56-year-old resident of Richmond, Virginia, has pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. This plea is connected to her involvement as a "runner" in a nationwide scheme aimed at impersonating financial institution customers to unlawfully acquire cash, checks, loans, and credit. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Albany Field Office.
In October 2024, Ozmore was indicted along with other key figures in the alleged conspiracy. These included Oluwaseun Adekoya, a Nigerian citizen residing in New Jersey identified as the supposed ringleader; and David Daniyan, another Nigerian citizen accused of living under stolen identities in the United States for decades. According to court documents, these individuals orchestrated identity theft across the country to fraudulently obtain funds from banks and credit unions.
The indictment detailed how conspirators opened bank accounts using stolen identities to deposit funds acquired through fraudulent means. The intended losses amounted to nearly $3 million, with over $1.7 million successfully obtained.
Ozmore confessed that she joined the conspiracy around January 2023 and managed to secure more than $195,000 from various banks and credit unions within five months by impersonating identity-theft victims whose information was provided by her supervisors. She received only a small portion of this amount.
The superseding indictment also charges several other individuals:
- Oluwaseun Adekoya faces charges including conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
- David Daniyan is charged with similar offenses.
- Kani Bassie from Brooklyn is charged with conspiracy and identity theft.
- Davon Hunter from Richmond faces similar charges.
- Jermon Brooks and Christian Quivers from Richmond are also charged similarly.
- Crystal Kurschner from Brooklyn faces identical charges.
This case results from an ongoing investigation initiated after arrests made by Cohoes Police Department in May 2022 involving some members of the group who allegedly traveled to commit bank fraud in the Capital Region.
At sentencing on May 6, 2025, Ozmore could face up to 30 years in prison along with restitution payments totaling $195,500 and supervised release for up to five years.
Several defendants have already pled guilty while others await trial where they remain presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The FBI Albany leads this investigation supported by multiple law enforcement agencies across different states including ICE - Enforcement & Removal Operations among others involved at federal level alongside local police departments contributing towards resolving this complex case effectively under prosecution efforts led by Assistant U.S Attorneys Benjamin S Clark & Joshua R Rosenthal
