Using fake IDs and underfunded prepaid debit cards, an Oklahoma man allegedly stole or attempted to steal nearly $50,000 in cash advances from six credit unions and a bank in Nebraska and Kansas.
Sherman L. Clemons was charged with seven felony counts of credit union and bank fraud and conspiracy to commit credit union and bank fraud, according to a federal indictment filed Feb. 22 in U.S. District court in Omaha, Neb.
Federal prosecutors said Clemons walked into credit union branches and a bank branch from September to December 2017 and presented “insufficiently funded” Green Dot Visa prepaid debit cards to tellers. He used fake driver's licenses or identification cards during the teller transactions.
After the requested cash advances were initially denied, Clemons asked tellers to call a number on the back of the card to confirm there were sufficient funds in the accounts to cover the cash advances. Unknown to the tellers, however, the individual who answered that number was working with Clemons and falsely reported the accounts had enough funds.
The co-conspirator was not identified in court documents.
Through this scam, Clemons and the co-conspirator allegedly stole $4,000 from a $679 million Centris Federal Credit Union branch in Bellevue, Neb.; $10,000 from a $253 million Liberty First Credit Union branch in Lincoln, Neb.; $2,000 from a $100 million University of Nebraska Federal Credit Union branch in Lincoln; $4,000 from a $20 million Wheat State Credit Union branch in Wichita, Kan., and $5,000 from Pinnacle Bank branch in Lincoln, according to federal prosecutors.
Court documents also show that Clemons and his co-conspirator unsuccessfully attempted to steal $22,000 from branches of the $1.2 billion Meritrust Credit Union in Wichita, Kan. and the $32 million EquiShare Credit Union in Wichita, and another Liberty First Credit Union branch in Seward, Neb.
Clemons is scheduled to be arraigned on the felony charges March 7.
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