Georgia man going to prison for his role in fraud conspiracy

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Lorenzo Jones, 38, of Atlanta, Georgia, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated ID theft, was sentenced to serve 34 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Bonanno and Sasha Mascarenhas, who handled the case, stated that between January and September 2022, Jones, along with co-conspirators Ameer Clark, Quentavious Price, and Montez White, and others, conspired to defraud financial institutions. Members of the conspiracy would travel from Atlanta, Georgia, to the Western District of New York, and steal genuine checks from businesses. Using those checks, they would create fraudulent checks drawn on the bank accounts of the businesses. Members of the conspiracy then recruited individuals to cash the fraudulent checks, buy clothes for the individuals to make them appear to be construction workers or laborers, and then drive them to area financial institutions and direct them to cash the fraudulent checks. If the checks were successfully cashed, the individuals received a small payment. Specifically:

• in January 2022, Jones, Price, and two others flew from Atlanta to Buffalo and drove an individual to various KeyBank branches to cash or attempt to cash fraudulent checks drawn on the KeyBank accounts of a business based in Elma, NY, and a second business based in Tonawanda, NY.
• in March 2022, Price and two others came to Buffalo from Atlanta and drove three individuals to M&T Bank branches, Bank on Buffalo branches, and Evans Bank branches to cash, or attempt to cash, fraudulent checks drawn on the bank accounts of businesses based in Tonawanda, Clarence, NY, and Sanborn, NY.
• in September 2022, Jones, Clark, Price, and White flew from Atlanta to Rochester, NY, and drove six individuals to M&T Bank branches, KeyBank branches, Northwest Bank branches, Bank on Buffalo branches, and Evans Bank branches, to cash or attempt to cash, fraudulent checks drawn on the bank accounts of two businesses based in Rochester, and one based in Alden, NY.

The total loss amount, including actual loss and intended loss, Is $64,979.67.

Co-conspirators Ameer Clark, Quentavious Price and Montez White were all previously convicted.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special-Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Amie P. Feroleto.

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