Mastermind of $1.9M bank fraud scheme sentenced to over 13 years in prison
FORT WORTH (CBSNewsTexas.com) — A man who admitted to masterminding a $1.9 million bank fraud scheme was sentenced to over 13 years in prison today, prosecutors said.
Nohmaan Malik, 30, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, passport fraud, and aggravated identity theft in November 2022. On March 30, U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman sentenced Malik to over 13 years in federal prison and ordered him to pay $1.9 million in restitution - the amount of money his victims lost in the scheme.
In the plea agreement, Malik admitted that he and several coconspirators defrauded Chase Bank customers over the course of almost a year.
The fraudsters would choose customers with large balances at the bank and create fake passport cards with the customers' names and information, but with the conspirators' pictures. They would use these counterfeit cards to open fraudulent joint bank accounts under the customers' names.
The person impersonating the customer or a money mule would then transfer money from the customer's actual account into the joint account. The mule would then transfer the money from the joint account into a third account controlled by the fraudsters.
Malik's coconspirators were named as:
- Juan Cruz: pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, passport fraud, and aggravated identity theft; sentenced to 10 years and nine months in prison.
- Ronald Godbold: pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft; sentenced to five years and five months in prison.
- Jeremy Pena: pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, passport fraud, and aggravated identity theft; sentenced to five years and five months in prison.
- Louie Walencik: charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, use of a false passport, and aggravated identity theft; fugitive.
- Gregory Jesus Acevedo: pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, passport fraud, and aggravated identity theft; sentenced to three years and four months in prison.
- Christian Martinez: pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud; will be sentenced on May 9.
The scheme first came to law enforcement's attention in January 2022 when a police officer at DFW Airport arrested Acevedo for possession of marijuana during a traffic stop. While conducting a search, the officer found 10 fake passport cards under different names all bearing a photo of Cruz.
Investigators also searched Acevedo's two cell phones and found evidence that Malik had sent personal information including names, social security numbers, and bank account details to Acevedo over texting applications.
The messages also contained images of the fake passport cards, screenshots of appointment confirmations at Chase Bank branches to open bank accounts, and messages that suggested Malik was coordinating fraudulent bank transfers with Acevedo. Acevedo was sentenced in May 2022.
A few weeks after Acevedo's arrest, Dallas police arrested Pena for possessing 29 counterfeit passport cards.
Investigators found evidence on Pena's cell phone that Malik sent Pena one victim's information on Feb. 10, 2022. Later that day, Cruz and a mule used that victim's identity to open a fake account at a Chase Bank in Dallas. Malik told Pena he was making transfers related to the account, and bank records showed that $54,000 was taken from the victim's account and put into the joint account.
Pena and other coconspirators then transported the mule to several other Chase Bank locations in North Texas and made six cash withdrawals totaling $32,900. Malik then directed Pena on how to divide the proceeds among the other coconspirators.
A criminal complaint was filed in August 2022, and Malik was arrested in New Jersey a few weeks later.