New York Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Theft Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Kwanique Martin, 32, of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty today to theft of public money, property, or records.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 1, 2025, Martin traveled from New York to a business in Summersville, West Virginia, where he cashed a $1,400 United States Treasury check made out to the name of another person. As part of his guilty plea, Martin admitted that the check did not belong to him, that he had no legal authority to possess or cash it, and that he presented a fraudulent passport card with his photograph but matching the name on the check when he cashed it.

Martin further admitted that on March 1, 2025, he fraudulently cashed nine other U.S. Treasury checks at businesses in Morgantown, Grafton, Weston, Buckhannon, Sutton, Clarksburg, and Kingwood, West Virginia and in Oakland, Maryland, and received a total of approximately $14,002.72 from all 10 checks. Martin also admitted that he possessed another $18,286.97 in U.S. Treasury checks that he planned to fraudulently cash, but that he inadvertently left a green bag containing those checks and the $14,002.72 in fraudulent proceeds in a Summersville area motel on March 2, 2025, after spending the night there. The motel contacted law enforcement after finding the green bag in the room where Martin had stayed. Officers arrested Martin when he returned to the motel to retrieve the green bag.

Martin is scheduled to be sentenced on September 10, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Martin also owes $14,002.72 in restitution.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Summersville Police Department, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the United States Department of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), and the assistance provided by the Nicholas County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes is prosecuting the case.

On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within federal benefit programs.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACERLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. by searching for Case No. 2:26-cr-47.

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