Indictment Adds Six More Defendants to Bank Fraud Conspiracy Case

Press Release

14 Defendants Have Now Been Indicted in Connection with Multimillion Dollar Bank Fraud Conspiracy Targeting Financial Institutions Across the United States

ALBANY, NEW YORK - A superseding indictment charges a total of 14 defendants in connection with a nationwide conspiracy to use stolen identities to fraudulently obtain money, checks, and credit from banks and credit unions located in the Northern District of New York and all over the country. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

According to the indictment, court filings, and statements made by prosecutors in court, between at least November 2021 and December 2023, the defendants conspired to steal the identities of people who resided all over the country and impersonated those people at banks and credit unions to fraudulently obtain cash, checks, loans, and credit. The conspirators allegedly opened bank accounts in the names of identity-theft victims, which were then used to deposit and access the funds from checks they had fraudulently obtained from banks and credit unions by impersonating other individuals. The conspirators' conduct allegedly involved nearly $3 million in intended losses and more than $1.5 million in actual losses. The charges in the superseding indictment are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Oluwaseun Adkeoya, age 39, of New Jersey, and David Daniyan, age 60, of Brooklyn, New York, were previously charged in an indictment returned last December, along with codefendants Victor Barriera, age 64, of the Bronx, New York, Gaysha Kennedy, age 46, of Brooklyn, Jerjuan Joyner, age 50, of Brooklyn, Akeem Balogun, age 56, of Brooklyn, Danielle Cappetti, age 46, of the Bronx, and Lesley Lucchese, age 53, of Brooklyn, with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

The superseding indictment is the result of an ongoing investigation that began after the May 2022 arrest of Daniyan, Kennedy, and Barriera by the Cohoes Police Department after the trio had allegedly traveled to the Capital Region to commit bank fraud. The original indictment charged Adekoya, Daniyan, Barriera, Kennedy, Joyner, Balogun, Cappetti, and Lucchese with fraudulently obtaining over $900,000 in cash and checks between December 2021 and April 2023.

The charges in the superseding indictment, which was returned on October 8, 2024, are as follows:

• Adekoya is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of money laundering conspiracy, and nine counts of aggravated identity theft;
• Daniyan is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of money laundering conspiracy, and four counts aggravated identity theft;
• Kani Bassie, age 36, of Brooklyn, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft;
• Davon Hunter, age 27, of Richmond, Virginia, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft;
• Jermon Brooks, age 20, of Richmond, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft;
• Christian Quivers, age 20, of Richmond, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft;
• Sherry Ozmore, age 56, of Richmond, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft; and
• Crystal Kurschner, age 44, of Brooklyn, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

The bank fraud conspiracy charges carry a maximum term of 30 years in prison, the money laundering conspiracy charges carry a maximum term of 20 years in prison, and each aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory term of 2 years in prison, to be imposed consecutive to any other term of imprisonment. A defendant's sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

Balogun, Barriera, Cappetti, Joyner, and Lucchese each previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and will be sentenced by United States District Judge Mae A. D'Agostino.

FBI Albany is investigating the case, with assistance from the FBI Field Offices in New York, Newark, Richmond and Resident Agencies in Westchester, New York; Brooklyn/Queens, New York; Garrett Mountain, New Jersey; and Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Additional assistance was provided by other law enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement & Removal Operations (New York Field Office & Albany sub-office); U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (Buffalo Field Office & St. Albans Resident Office); U.S. Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General; New York law enforcement agencies including the New York State Police; Cohoes PD; Colonie PD; Elmira PD; Corning PD; Plattsburgh PD; Florida law enforcement agencies including the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office and Escambia County Sheriff's Office; the Pennsylvania State Police; Alabama law enforcement agencies including the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office, Gasden PD, and Rainbow City PD; Georgia law enforcement agencies including the Georgia State Patrol, Bartow County Sheriff's Office, and Morrow PD; Kansas law enforcement agencies including Lawrence PD and Overland Park PD; New Hampshire law enforcement agencies including Rochester PD, Manchester PD, and Amherst PD; the Delaware State Police; Maryland law enforcement agencies including the Maryland State Police, Harford County Sheriff's Office and Baltimore County Sheriff's Office; Wisconsin law enforcement agencies including Onalaska PD and Eau Claire PD; and Indiana law enforcement agencies including the Allen County Sheriff's Office.

Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin S. Clark and Joshua R. Rosenthal are prosecuting this case.

Updated October 16, 2024