UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA

ALEXANDRIA    NEWPORT NEWS    NORFOLK    RICHMOND

CHUCK ROSENBERG, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

Two Richmond Men Sentenced for Bank Fraud and Identity Theft

(Richmond, VA) -Aaron Robinson, age 31, and Vernon Warren, age 33, both of Richmond, Virginia, were sentenced for their roles in an identity theft scheme. Robinson was sentenced to 108 months in prison on January 8, and Warren was sentenced to 90 months in prison on January 9. Both defendants pled guilty in September 2006, to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft, and were both ordered to pay $561,459.46 in restitution to numerous victims. Chuck Rosenberg, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Chief Judge James R. Spencer.

In support of their pleas, Robinson and Warren admitted that between about December 2004 and June 2006, they would obtain bank checks, many of which were stolen from the mail, and would counterfeit the checks, making them payable to a variety of payees. Many of these payees were real individuals; however, Robinson and Warren had associates pose as the payees, using false identification documents, including drivers licenses and credit cards, in the names of the payees to cash the checks. The two had associates cash the checks at numerous branches of at least 28 different banks from New Jersey to Florida. The total loss to date has been determined to be $561,459.46. In addition, Robinson and Warren agreed to forfeit to the United States cash, several luxury cars, a 40” plasma television and other electronic equipment, a Rolex watch and other jewelry that were purchased with money obtained through the fraudulent scheme.

The case was investigated by the Metro-Richmond Identity Theft Task Force, which was formed in the fall of 2004. Full-time member agencies include: the Postal Inspection Service; United States Secret Service; Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Treasury Inspector General, Office of Investigations; Henrico County Police Department; Richmond Police Department; and Chesterfield Police Department. Prosecutions for the Task Force are handled by the United States Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia. For more information on the Task Force, including assistance for victims of identity theft, visit: www.richmondIDtheft.com.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Stephen W. Miller and Angela Mastandrea-Miller.