In a pronounced crackdown on financial fraud, three individuals have pleaded guilty to their involvement in a sizable bank fraud conspiracy, as announced by United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and FBI Special Agent Craig L. Tremaroli. Richmond's own Davon Hunter, 27, alongside Christian Quivers, 20, also of Richmond, and Crystal Kurschner, 44, of Brooklyn, New York, each admitted their roles in a scheme that spanned the nation, defrauding numerous financial institutions.
As part of their plea agreements, the defendants acknowledged that they acquired the personal identifying information (PII) of victims and employed others to impersonate these victims to conduct fraudulent banking transactions. Quivers, according to court documents, was a supervisor who carried out instructions from higher-ups, including Oluwaseun Adekoya, Kani Bassie, and Hunter, relaying them to those impersonating the identity theft victims. Kurschner admitted to being one such "worker," who impersonated victims and passed along most of the proceeds to her supervisors. Hunter acknowledged being a manager in the conspiracy, orchestrating fraudulent transactions at the behest of his superiors, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
With each pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, Hunter and Quivers also pleaded guilty to an additional count of aggravated identity theft, while Kurschner pled guilty solely to the conspiracy charge. The scheme's complexity is further revealed as other defendants in the case, such as Adekoya, Bassie, and Jermon Brooks, are facing an array of charges, including conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, though they remain presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
The massive fraud operation was initially exposed following the arrest of Daniyan, Gaysha Kennedy, and Victor Barriera in May 2022 by the Cohoes Police Department when they attempted to commit bank fraud in the Capital Region. The ensuing investigation, spearheaded by the U.S. Attorney's Office and FBI-Albany, has unearthed fraudulent transactions surpassing $1.7 million so far. Eleven defendants have entered guilty pleas to date, forfeiting a substantial sum of money, luxury goods, and jewelry. According to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Hunter, Quivers, and Kurschner now face up to 30 years' imprisonment for the bank fraud conspiracy, with Hunter and Quivers facing an additional mandatory two years for aggravated identity theft.
The extensive research and coordination between various law enforcement agencies have been pivotal to the investigation's success. These include numerous FBI field offices and resident agencies, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Social Security Administration's Office of the Inspector General, as well as state and local law enforcement across multiple states. Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin S. Clark and Joshua R. Rosenthal are tasked with prosecuting this multifaceted case.
