Member of South L.A.-Based Crips Street Gang Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison for Role in $2.8 Million Bank Fraud Advertised on Instagram

LOS ANGELES - A member of the South Los Angeles-based Crips street gang was sentenced today to 108 months in federal prison for his role in a $2.8 million scheme in which he stole checks in the mail, altered them, then used Instagram to recruit bank account holders to give him access to their accounts so he could deposit the checks and quickly withdraw the funds before banks could detect the fraud.

Chase Matthew Griffin, 26, a.k.a. "Trey," of Atlanta, who also resided in Ontario and South Los Angeles, was sentenced by United States District Judge Josephine L. Staton, who also ordered him to pay $307,386 in restitution.

Griffin pleaded guilty on March 5 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He has been in federal custody since September 2025.

According to court documents, from 2022 to September 2025, Griffin participated in a criminal conspiracy in which he and others obtained checks stolen from the mail, then altered them or created counterfeit versions so they appeared to be payable to their accomplices.

Griffin recruited these accomplices online, often through Instagram, where he posted photographs of himself holding stacks of currency that were more than one foot high. He advertised for holders of various bank accounts to give him access to their accounts.

After he recruited an accomplice, Griffin and his co-conspirators deposited these fraudulent checks, which were typically for tens of thousands of dollars, into the accomplice's bank account, then raced to withdraw the funds before the bank could detect the fraud.

For example, in December 2023, a North Hollywood business reported to law enforcement that it had mailed three checks totaling approximately $84,490 from a United States Postal Service collection box in Tarzana. However, the checks were stolen then deposited into JPMorgan Chase accounts not belonging to the intended recipients. The business representative provided images of the checks that had been deposited and confirmed the listed payee on each check had been changed from the intended recipient.

A law enforcement review of a Chase bank account where one of those checks was deposited revealed a previous deposit of approximately $22,487 made at an ATM in Upland. This check, along with another check for approximately $29,081, was stolen and used to create counterfeit checks with the same date, check number, and amount at the original, but with different payees.

The money was quickly withdrawn from the account and used for ATM withdrawals, Zelle and CashApp payments, a plane ticket, and card purchases at a San Bernardino County casino. Law enforcement later traced the scheme to Griffin.

The United States Postal Inspection Service investigated this matter with assistance from Upland Police Department

Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Brown of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case.