A Central Falls resident has been sentenced for bank fraud conspiracy, as announced by Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. Ryan DaCruz, 28, was sentenced to eighteen months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. This comes after DaCruz pleaded guilty to the charge in February.
DaCruz admitted that between February 2022 and May 2023, he opened accounts at four Rhode Island banks. He deposited checks stolen from the U.S. Mail stream by accomplices into these accounts. Most of these checks were third-party business checks that had been altered so that DaCruz could be listed as the payee.
The funds from these fraudulent deposits were quickly withdrawn or transferred before banks could identify them as fraudulent. As a result, each account was closed once detected, prompting DaCruz to open new accounts elsewhere. The total intended loss to the banks was approximately $46,000.
Previously, DaCruz completed a federal sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm while detained on this current charge of bank fraud conspiracy. U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose imposed his latest sentence.
Assistant United States Attorneys John P. McAdams and Paul F. Daly Jr. prosecuted the case following an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives alongside the Providence Police Department.
