Three men have been charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering after allegedly being involved in a scheme involving a stolen U.S. Treasury check worth over $1 million, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
Orelien Martial Nguepi-Tankoua, Jean Paul Bayoi, and Tamblyn Milton Frasier were indicted following their initial court appearances in Florida and Georgia. The court documents reveal that the trio used fraudulent identities to open illegitimate bank accounts and attempted to launder the proceeds of the stolen check.
The scheme began in September 2021 when Frasier opened a fraudulent bank account in the Northern District of Georgia using a fabricated identity and a falsified driver’s license, with assistance from Bayoi. The fraudulent account was opened using payee information from a stolen U.S. Treasury check worth more than $1 million.
Once the account was established, Nguepi-Tankoua deposited the check through an ATM. However, attempts to withdraw the stolen funds were thwarted by the U.S. Department of the Treasury – Office of Inspector General and the United States Secret Service, who successfully intervened and seized the remaining stolen funds.
The three defendants face up to 30 years in federal prison if convicted on all charges. The U.S. attorney’s office stressed that an indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
