Meshach Samuels, a 26-year-old Placentia resident, was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison yesterday. He was found guilty of charges related to check fraud and firearm crimes. It is reported that Samuels exploited social media, specifically Instagram, to instruct people on how to defraud banks. His illicit actions were projected to swindle about $1.2 million, as per the Department of Justice's statement.
On May 25, Samuels pleaded guilty. United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney sentenced him and ordered restitution of $423,087. His charges encompassed conspiracy to commit bank fraud as a singular count and a couple of counts of being a convicted felon holding firearms and ammunition.
His fraud scheme spanned from May 2021 to March 2022, where Samuels lured Instagram followers into his Telegram chat groups. He offered instructions on accomplice recruitment and check fraud execution for substantial fees. Aligning with corrupt bank teller, Samuels, and his other associates, acquired stolen data necessary for crafting deceptive checks tied to victim accounts. The checks were placed into third-party accounts, with cash withdrawn in chunks less than $10,000 to dodge bank detection. The teller was awarded a portion of cash harvested from these deceitful checks. The scheme aimed to garner approximately $1.2 million and dealt actual damages amounting to at least $423,087.
Besides check fraud, Samuels also had part in 2021 fraud scheme, aiming to deceive California Employment Development Department (EDD). This entailed submissions of deceitful applications for pandemic-related unemployment insurance. These applications comprised stolen identity information, leading EDD to release pandemic benefits as per the fraudulent requests. The funds were disbursed to debit accounts managed by Samuels and his co-conspirators, who later withdrew the money from ATMs. The estimated losses to EDD are reportedly at least $14,250, according to the DOJ.
On top of the other allegations, Samuels, who holds previous felony convictions from Florida, admitted to having possession of firearms and ammunition unlawfully. During a Costa Mesa traffic stop in August 2021, a hidden firearm and ammunition, were found on him. In March 2022, five additional firearms and ammunition were confiscated from Samuels' residence.
In the punishment memorandum, the prosecutors described Samuels' actions as "calculated" and "persistently engaged in for months", impacting many victims. Most of the proceeds from the fraudulent schemes were spent on luxury goods and firearms.
Also found guilty was Sasha Lizette Jimenez, former girlfriend of Samuels, accused in the EDD fraud as a bookkeeper. On May 22, Jimenez confessed to her role in plotting to commit bank fraud. The DOJ confirmed that her actions led to the issuance of about $2.8 million in fraudulent unemployment insurance benefit debit cards. From this amount, at least $2.3 million was withdrawn. Jimenez is due for sentencing on December 4, by Judge Carney.
Anyone with information on fraud allegations concerning COVID-19 is urged to report it. They can do so by contacting the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline by calling at (866) 720-5721, or by filling the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
