The leader of a check fraud scheme that caused significant financial damage to hundreds of individuals and banks has been sentenced to over nine years in federal prison. Tianna Cosby, also known as "Mendoza," 24, of Prince George's County, Maryland, received a sentence of 114 months following her guilty plea in October 2024 to charges of conspiracy to commit mail and bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
According to an announcement by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, the criminal operation began in March 2021 and continued through at least August 2021. Cosby, along with her co-conspirators, managed to defraud more than 900 individuals by stealing and then altering over 700 checks with a total value exceeding $5 million. Their strategy involved taking checks from USPS collection boxes and processing facilities, a method carried out efficiently, albeit illegally, by Cosby's associate Marche Sisco, who worked at the USPS Washington Network Distribution Center.
The fraudsters engaged in a sophisticated scheme of recruiting account mules, collecting personal banking information and identification, and altering checks. These activities were meticulously aimed at depositing fraudulent checks and withdrawing ill-gotten funds through ATM cash withdrawals and peer-to-peer transfers. In the statement detailed by the Justice Department, the scheme's participants utilized shell companies such as Santos Detailing and Spectrum Dynamics as vessels to launder the proceeds and mask their financial trail.
A search warrant executed on January 19, 2024, at Cosby's Woodbridge, Virginia, residence led to the discovery of luxury items purchased with fraudulent funds. Law enforcement found a trove of designer handbags and expensive jewelry alongside a BMW i8 containing stolen checks worth approximately $610,788.08. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the collaborative efforts of the USPIS, USPS-OIG, and the Prince George’s Police Department in unraveling the complex layers of this check fraud case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys and other specialists provided further assistance in the investigation.
