Sean Donnell White, 30, of Theodore, was sentenced to 32 months in prison for bank fraud conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, and a wire fraud scheme, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama announced today.
Between 2020 and 2022, White engaged in multiple fraudulent schemes, starting with stealing mail to obtain victims’ bank account and personal identifying information. He worked with Kristen Arieale Williams, a postal employee, who sold him an “arrow key” for $2,500 in cash. This key, which is government property, can open postal collection boxes in specific areas.
In November 2022, White was caught using the key to steal hundreds of pieces of mail from collection boxes outside Bel Air Mall in Mobile. He used this stolen information to commit fraudulent bank transactions totaling at least $69,508 through counterfeit checks.
In a separate scam, White orchestrated a cryptocurrency fraud scheme by purchasing stolen identities from illicit dark web marketplaces. He opened Coinbase and bank accounts with these identities, targeting banks that allowed account holders to overdraw by up to $35,000. He made cryptocurrency trades with unsettled funds and siphoned profits into accounts he controlled. When trades failed, the victim banks absorbed the losses.
White fraudulently obtained at least $210,000 through this “Coinbase scam”.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed that White’s fraudulent actions resulted in significant financial harm, leading to his conviction and 32-month sentence.
