Feds Charge 5-Person Theft Ring That Targeted New York Credit Union
Former Broadview FCU employee agrees to a plea deal with prosecutors, while four other conspirators plead not guilty.
Five persons involved in a theft ring, including a former member services representative at the $8.4 billion Broadview Federal Credit Union in Albany, N.Y., have been indicted for alleged bank fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York said Tuesday.
According to the indictment, court filings and statements made by prosecutors in a federal courtroom in Albany, the alleged crimes happened between February 2022 and October 2022 and four conspirators obtained member account information from Caeshara Cannon, 33, of Albany, a former a member services representative at the Glenmont Broadview branch.
In September, she cut a plea deal with prosecutors and agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one felony count of aggravated theft. Cannon also agreed to a money judgement of $77,200, according to the plea deal. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for January.
Federal prosecutors did not say how much in total funds had been allegedly stolen by the theft ring.
Cannon’s case was initially investigated by the Bethlehem Police Department. Last October, police arrested her for allegedly being involved in the criminal ring that stole an estimated $100,000 from the credit union. The charges included grand larceny, identity theft, possession of forged instrument and falsifying business records. In December, however, police handed over their investigation to federal authorities.
Cannon and four conspirators allegedly used members’ information to create counterfeit checks, which were presented for negotiation at the credit union’s branches. The theft ring also allegedly obtained personal identifying information of other people, which they used to fraudulently obtain at least three $25,000 loans from Broadview and then withdrew the cash, according to court documents.
The conspirators used fake New York State driver’s licenses, with pictures of the conspirators and the personal identifying information of Broadview members, when they applied for the loans, federal prosecutors said.
The four conspirators were Allahson Allah, 53, of Albany; Evan Cutler, 24, of Queensbury, N.Y.; Dnauticah Taylor-Sterman, 21, of Albany and Davon Parson, 20, of Troy, N.Y. They have all pleaded not guilty to felony charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated felony theft.