Date: Feb. 13, 2024 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov NEW YORK — Five people were indicted on multiple charges Feb. 13 and arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn. All are being charged with wire fraud and bank fraud in a Treasury check washing conspiracy, while three are being charged with defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Jamel Woods, also known as "Richard Carter." Juanita Evans, Troy Melville, Desmond Robertson, and Raphael Williams, also known as “Fatboy", collectively face a total of 14 charges. These arrests follow an investigation by IRS Criminal Investigation (CI), New York Field Office, and Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG). Prosecution is being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY). Charges according to the Indictment are as follows: Wire Fraud and Bank Fraud Conspiracy-Altered U.S. Treasury Checks In or about and between November 2021 and January 2023, both dates being approximate and inclusive, within the Eastern District of New York and elsewhere, the defendants Jamel Woods, also known as "Richard Carter." Juanita Evans, Troy Melville, Desmond Robertson, and Raphael Williams, also known as "Fatboy”, together with others, did knowingly and intentionally conspire (a) to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud the United States Department of the Treasury and Bank-1, Bank-2. Bank-3, Bank-4, Bank-5 and Bank-6, financial institutions the deposits of which were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and to obtain money and property from them by means of one or more materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises, all affecting financial institutions and others, and for the purpose of executing such scheme and artifice, to transmit and cause to be transmitted by means of wire communication in interstate and foreign commerce writings, signs, signals, pictures and sounds, contrary to Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343; and (b) to execute a scheme and artifice to defraud Bank-I, Bank-2, Bank-3, Bank-4, Bank-5 and Bank-6, and to obtain moneys, funds, credits and other property owned by and under the custody and control of Bank- 1, Bank-2, Bank-3, Bank-4, Bank-5 and Bank-6 by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises, contrary to Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344. Bank Fraud - Altered U.S. Treasury Checks On or about and between the dates set forth below, all dates being approximate and inclusive, within the Eastern District of New York and elsewhere, the defendants set forth below, together with others, did knowingly and intentionally execute and attempt to execute a scheme and artifice to defraud the banks set forth below, financial institutions the deposits of which were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and to obtain moneys, funds, credits and other property owned by and under the custody and control of said banks by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises. Conspiracy to Defraud the United States - Altered U.S. Treasury Checks In or about and between November 2021 and January 2023, both dates being approximate and inclusive, within the Eastern District of New York and elsewhere, the defendants Jamel Woods, also known as "Richard Carter," Juanita Evans, Troy Melville, Desmond Robertson and Raphael Williams, also known as “Fatboy'' together with others, did knowingly and 'willfully conspire to defraud an agent United States Department of the Treasury, by obtaining the payment and allowance of false, fictitious and fraudulent claims, to wit: altering U.S. Treasury checks and depositing them into accounts belonging to people other than the intended payees. Wire Fraud and Bank Fraud Conspiracy- PPP Loans In or about and between February 2021 and June 2021, both dates being approximate and inclusive, within the Eastern District of New York and elsewhere, the defendants Jamel Woods, also known as ''Richard Carter," Troy Melville, and Desmond Robertson, together with others, did knowingly and intentionally conspire (a) to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud the SBA, Bank-2. Bank-3 and Bank-7 and to obtain money and prope11y from them by means of one or more materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises, all affecting financial institutions and others, and for the purpose of executing such scheme and a1iifioe, to transmit and cause to be transmitted by means of wire communication in interstate and foreign commerce writings, signs. signals, pictures, and sounds, contrary to Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343: and (b) to execute a scheme and artifice to defraud Bank-2. Bank-3 and Bank-7, financial institutions the deposits of which were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and to obtain moneys, funds, credits and other property owned by and under the custody and control of Bank-2, Bank-3 and Bank-7 by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises, contrary to Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344. Bank Fraud - PPP Loans On or about February 2021 and July 2021, all dates being approximate and inclusive, within the Eastern District of New York and elsewhere, the defendants set forth below, together with others, did knowingly and intentionally execute and attempt to execute a scheme and artifice to defraud the banks set fo1th below, financial institutions the deposits of which were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and to obtain moneys, funds, credits and other property owned by and under the custody and control of said banks by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises. Conspiracy to Defraud the United States - PPP Loans In or about and between February 2021 and June 2021, both dates being approximate and inclusive, within the Eastern District of New York and elsewhere, the defendants Jamel Woods, also known as "Richard Carter." Troy Melvi LLE and Desmond Robertson, together with others, did knowingly and intentionally conspire to defraud an agency of the United States, to with the SBA by obtaining the payment or allowance of false, fictitious, and fraudulent claims. Aggravated Identity Theft In or about and between November 2021 and January 2023, both dates being approximate and inclusive, within the Eastern District of New York and elsewhere, the defendant Raphael Williams, also known as "Fatboy", together with others, during and in relation to the crimes charged in Counts One and Four, did knowingly and intentionally transfer possess and use, without lawful authority, one or more means of identification of one or more persons, knowing that the means of identification belonged to other persons. The amount in altered Treasury checks totals $295,000. The total loss for the PPP fraud is $112,000. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) New York Field Office and the NYPD assisted with these arrests. This case is being prosecuted by EDNY Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew Roddin and Russell Noble. CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a more than a 90 percent federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 12 attaché posts abroad.
