Used Fraudulently Acquired Government Credit Cards to Obtain
Over $113,000 in Cash
A former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) employee was
sentenced today to two years in prison for defrauding JPMorgan Chase & Co.
out of more than $113,000 using fraudulently issued government credit cards.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice
Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein of the District
of Maryland and Special Agent in Charge Michael P. Tompkins of the the
Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General’s (DOJ OIG) Washington,
D.C. Field Office made the announcement.
Keenya Meshell Banks, 41, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland,
pleaded guilty in April 2015 to one count of wire fraud. In addition to imposing the term of
imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow ordered Banks to pay
restitution in the amount of $113,841.
According to her plea agreement, Banks was employed by the
DEA as a Program Manager, and was responsible for the approval and issuance of
government credit cards to DEA employees.
Banks admitted that, while serving in that role, she submitted dozens of
fake credit card applications to JPMorgan Chase & Co. for fictitious DEA
employees, using names and identifying information of individuals who did not
work at the DEA. In at least one
instance, however, Banks submitted the identifying information of an actual DEA
employee. Through this scheme, Banks
admitted that she obtained at least 32 fraudulent credit cards, which she then
used to withdraw more than $113,000 from ATMs in Maryland and Northern
Virginia. As part of her plea agreement,
Banks agreed to forfeit the proceeds she received as a result of the scheme and
to pay full restitution.
The case was investigated by the DOJ OIG. The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys
Richard B. Evans and Justin Weitz of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity
Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas P. Windom of the District of Maryland.
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