Fraud scheme participant sentenced to 23 months
U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier sentenced a 23-year-old Keyvon Hogan to 23 months in federal prison, U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell announced Tuesday. The Sioux Falls man was convicted of a money laundering conspiracy that resulted in the loss of more than $1,500,000. The sentencing took place on May 17 in Sioux Falls.
The 23-month imprisonment will be followed by three years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney South Dakota Office spokesperson Aileen Crawford said in the official press release.
In addition, Hogan must pay $563,127.06 in restitution, forfeit his interest in money and personal property and pay a $100 statutorily required special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Hogan served as a middleman between the conspiracy leaders – Antyon Hogan, 24, and Marvin Williams, 31, helping recruit third parties to participate in the fraud schemes or money laundering activities.
Individuals involved in the scheme were getting a “cut” of the proceeds. The conspirators also gave their payees directions regarding depositing the fraudulent checks, obtaining funds, and providing the proceeds.
From no later than 2020 to April 2022, Hogan, along with his co-defendants, including Giovanni Hamilton, 23, Cameron Hardiman, and Emilio Herrera conspired to commit bank frauds, court documents said.
For their fraudulent schemes and money laundering activities, the co-defendants used financial institutions and mobile applications, such as Cash App, for the financial transactions affecting interstate and foreign commerce.
The financial institutions affected by the conspirators’ fraudulent schemes included First Premier Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Levo Credit Union, First National Bank, First and Trust U.S. Bank, American Bank and Trust, American State Bank, Navy Federal Credit Union, Pima Federal Credit Union, JP Morgan Chase, and Security National Bank of South Dakota.
Woman scammed out of $150k in fairly common scam, police say (argusleader.com)
The conspiracy involved numerous individuals opening the checking accounts and depositing fraudulent checks created by the co-defendants or stolen from individuals and mailboxes, the U.S. District Court of the District of South Dakota Southern Division said in its factual basis statement.
“Once the fraudulent funds became available to withdraw, a third party withdrew as much money as possible and then gave the proceeds to one of the conspirators,” said the court.
Thus, the defendants obtained money from those banks by false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises. To conceal the proceeds after getting the fraud money, Hogan and his co-conspirators engaged in depositing, transferring, wiring, and withdrawing currency and electronic funds.
The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation; Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; Sioux Falls Police Department; U.S. Postal Service; and South Dakota Highway Patrol took part in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Jehangiri prosecuted the case. Hogan was indicted for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and launder monetary instruments by a federal grand jury in April 2022 and pleaded guilty in November 2022. He was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to continue serving his sentence
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls man sentenced in $1.5M fraud scheme
