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HOUSTON – A federal investigation has led to charges against five Houston-area residents accused of trying to profit more than $1 million from a fake U.S. Treasury refund check.<\/p>\n
Federal indictment unsealed in $1M check scheme <\/p>\n
The backstory:<\/p>\n
The U.S. Attorney’s Office reports a 33-count federal indictment filed on July 22 charged five people with passing a counterfeit Treasury check, bank fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering.<\/p>\n
According to prosecutors, Torik M. Blade, 39, from Missouri City, allowed someone to deposit a counterfeit U.S. Treasury tax refund check worth $1,052,615.97 into his business account.<\/p>\n
Blade then allegedly worked alongside four co-conspirators to get the money by cashing cashier’s checks with the fraudulent money, transferring money between different financial institutions, and making direct cash withdrawals.<\/p>\n
The accused co-conspirators include Kendra L. Folkes, 37, of Katy; Rickelle D. Taylor, 38, of Spring; Raven N. Morris, 34, and Stephen G. James, 42, both from Houston.<\/p>\n
All five defendants have made their initial court appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Yvonne Ho.<\/p>\n
What’s next:<\/p>\n
If convicted, the defendants face severe federal prison time and millions of dollars in potential fines. Blade and his co-defendants face up to 30 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine for each bank fraud count.<\/p>\n
Passing the counterfeit check carries a sentence of up to 20 years and a $250,000 fine, while the conspiracy and money laundering charges each carry up to 20 years in prison and $500,000 in fines.<\/p>\n
The Source: This article is based on information provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas.<\/p>\n
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