Thirteen individuals have been indicted in a case involving an alleged multi-million dollar scheme to defraud staffing companies across the United States. The indictment was unsealed by U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida.
The defendants—Crispian Atkins, Henry Bell, Grace Almonte, Christopher Williamson, Willie Beard, Franklin Revels, Valeria Walker, Tremayne Eddings, Katrina Osborne, Natasha Martin, Cameron Atkins, Derrick Stephenson, and Virgil Thomas—are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. Crispian Atkins also faces an additional charge of aggravated identity theft. According to prosecutors, Atkins could face up to 284 years in federal prison if convicted on all counts. The other defendants each face a maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment.
Authorities allege that from May 2021 through March 2024, the group targeted eight companies providing employment and payroll services as well as financial funding throughout the country. Prosecutors say Atkins falsely claimed he had business contracts for IT-related work and convinced these victim companies to either fund his operations or hire him and his associates as temporary employees.
The indictment states that fraudulent timesheets were submitted for work purportedly done by these temporary employees. Based on those timesheets, payments were made via wire transfers to Atkins and his co-defendants. The funds were then allegedly moved into various accounts or withdrawn in cash to hide their origin before being shared among the participants.
The government is seeking forfeiture of $2,462,992.81 that it claims represents proceeds from the offense.
"An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty," according to the press release.
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Las Vegas Division (Reno Resident Agency) and Tampa Division with support from local agencies including the Norwood Police Department in Massachusetts and Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. Assistant United States Attorney Ross Roberts will prosecute the case.
