United States Attorney David Metcalf has announced the sentencing of Oliver Tejada, a 25-year-old from the Bronx, New York. Tejada received a sentence of 60 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to forfeit $780,837.11. This comes after his involvement in a scheme that defrauded bank accounts of over $1 million from at least 23 victims.
The fraudulent activities led to an actual loss of $780,837.11 for financial institutions after some transactions were reversed. Tejada faced charges following an indictment in May 2024 and pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
Tejada's scheme involved obtaining confidential bank account information from victims, including elderly or retired individuals. The conspirators would then contact banks to gather current balance details and other account information.
Using this information, Tejada collaborated with an imposter who used fake identification cards bearing the victim's personal details but featuring the imposter's photo. They targeted ten out of eleven banks located within the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
In some cases, the imposter secured a debit card using these fake documents; however, they often made large withdrawals or wire transfers into accounts set up by recruited individuals. These receiving accounts were quickly emptied once funds were transferred.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation into this case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. Livermore.
