10/04/2024

Former Salem County Man Admits Role in Stolen Check Scheme

United States Attorney's Office District of New Jersey

CAMDEN, N.J. – A former Salem County, New Jersey, man admitted his role in a scheme involving checks stolen from the mail and other sources, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.

Dezhon McCrae, 25, formerly of Penns Grove, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court to a six-count information charging him with two counts of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, possession of a stolen postal key, possession of stolen mail, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Count One

From May 2018 through February 2020, McCrae was part of a “card cracking” conspiracy in which the conspirators obtained stolen checks from the mail and other sources. They then used the stolen checks to create counterfeit checks with the same routing and account numbers for deposit into area banks. Next, the conspirators posted advertisements on social media, seeking individuals who had bank accounts and were willing to give the conspirators access to their accounts. The conspirators then deposited the counterfeit checks into the compromised banks accounts. The conspirators transferred as much money as possible out of the accounts before the banks discovered that the deposits were fraudulent. The conspirators were able to defraud the victim banks of over $274,000. McCrae’s role in this scheme resulted in over $10,000 loss to the victim banks. Three other codefendants have already been sentenced in connection with this scheme and three additional codefendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.