Kevin P. Davidson, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama
Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced on Mar. 12 that two men have been sentenced in connection with a mail theft and bank fraud conspiracy involving four defendants in Alabama.
The sentencing highlights ongoing efforts to address financial crimes involving stolen mail and fraudulent checks, which can result in significant losses for individuals and financial institutions.
According to the announcement, Tra’von Charles Rogers, 24, of Prattville, was sentenced on March 5 to 24 months in federal prison. Joseph Deshun Sheppard, Jr., 27, of Montgomery, received the same sentence on March 3. Both had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank and mail fraud. After serving their prison terms, each will be subject to three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
Court records show that from March 2022 through February 2025, Rogers and Sheppard worked with Kahneil Jahe Oliver to steal mail and alter or counterfeit checks taken from that mail. The altered checks were then deposited into various bank accounts controlled by the conspirators. At sentencing, Rogers was ordered to forfeit $159,742.65 while Sheppard was ordered to forfeit $62,050.
A fourth co-conspirator, Cedric Lanoid Hunter, Jr., is scheduled for sentencing next month. Previously, Oliver was sentenced to over ten years (130 months) in prison and ordered on March 5 to pay $14,718.48 in restitution to a financial institution affected by the scheme.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the United States Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General; Alabama Law Enforcement Agency State Bureau of Investigation; Montgomery Police Department; Prattville Police Department; and Fulton County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia. Assistant United States Attorney J. Patrick Lamb is prosecuting the case.
