Four charged in scheme to steal mail and commit bank fraud

NEWARK, NJ — Four people were arrested Sept. 17 for their roles in a conspiracy to commit bank fraud, including soliciting U.S. Postal Service employees to steal checkbooks and credit cards from the mail; depositing fraudulent checks, including pandemic relief checks; and using credit cards without authorization, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Jeffrey Bennett, 26, of Irvington; Tashon Ragan, 21, of Hillside; and Jahaad Flip, 21, and Janel Blackman, 41, both of Newark, are each charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Ragan and Flip are also charged with one count of passing fictitious obligations, namely counterfeit Economic Impact Payment checks. Bennett and Ragan are also charged with one count each of aggravated identity theft. 

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, from February 2019 to May 2020, a group that referred to themselves as the “Members,” and their associates, including Bennett, Flip and Ragan, conspired to solicit and did solicit USPS employees, including Blackman, to steal U.S. mail containing checks, checkbooks, debit cards and credit cards in exchange for cash. Once they received stolen checks, Bennett, Flip, Ragan and others, fraudulently forged the signatures of the account holders and negotiated the checks by making them payable to individuals, some of whom were New Jersey high school students, who had given the Members and their associates access to their accounts, also in exchange for cash. Bennett, Flip and Ragan then reportedly attempted to and did deposit the fraudulent checks online and at various bank ATMs throughout New Jersey and later withdrew funds from the bank accounts before the victim banks could discover the fraud and decline the checks. Bennett also allegedly used the stolen credit cards to purchase gift cards or Apple products, which he then resold to generate additional proceeds from the scheme. Bennett, Flip, Ragan and Blackman split the proceeds of the fraud among themselves.

Ragan and Flip are also charged with depositing thousands of dollars of counterfeit EIP checks purportedly issued pursuant to the CARES Act, the federal law enacted March 29 and designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The conspiracy charge is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison. The passing fictitious obligations charge is punishable by a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. The aggravated identity theft charge is punishable by a mandatory sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutively to any other term of imprisonment imposed. The bank fraud conspiracy also carries a fine of up to $1 million. All other charges are punishable by a maximum $250,000 fine.

The charges and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proved guilty in a court of law.

  Arrests, Fraud, U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Postal Service