The following release is from the Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Woodbridge man pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. According to court documents, from August 2021 to July 2022, Jason Banks, 27, participated in a scheme to defraud banks by cashing or depositing fraudulent checks. At least one conspirator had obtained a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) arrow key, used by mail carriers to unlock USPS collection boxes, apartment panels, or parcel lockers. The conspirators used the key to steal mail, much of which included checks.
The coconspirators created fraudulent checks, either by altering stolen checks or using information from stolen checks to create new fraudulent checks. Banks recruited accountholders who would share their bank account, PIN, and personally identifying information with him, which he would then provide to another conspirator. That conspirator supplied at least one fraudulent paper check to Banks or the other accountholders, who would deposit the fraudulent checks into their accounts. At other times, a conspirator would electronically deposit the fraudulent checks into the accounts of one of the other account holders.