Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. has announced the sentencing of a check fraud ring for laundering a stolen check worth $1.2 million from The Bazooka Companies Inc. This case, which has woven through New York’s financial arteries, saw the leader of the operation, Kashawn Williams, sentenced to 1-to-3 years in prison for Money Laundering in the First Degree, as reported by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
Two other individuals, Ronald Franklin and Adrean Jacobs, were handed down sentences for their involvement in the elaborate scheme. Franklin received a sentence of 1 ½-to-3 years after pleading guilty to Attempted Money Laundering in the Third Degree. Jacobs was given five years of probation following her plea of Attempted Money Laundering in the Second Degree. The group was adept at manipulating the banking system, using personal and corporate checks in addition to cashiers' checks spread their ill-gotten gains.
Furthermore, Kiearra Reynolds, previously convicted on Attempted Money Laundering in the Third Degree, anticipates a sentencing of 1 ½-to-3 years in prison on September 30, 2025. Jose Gutierrez and Akheim Watts, who pleaded guilty to Attempted Money Laundering in the Second Degree, have been sentenced to a 6-month jail/5-year probation split and 3 years of probation, respectively. "This ring laundered more than $1.2 million through New York’s banks and financial services using checks for personal and corporate accounts, cashiers’ checks, and large cash withdrawals," said District Attorney Bragg in a statement obtained by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
The convicted ring leader, Williams, concocted an elaborate plan by incorporating the fictitious entity Bazooka Companies 1 Inc. to siphon off the funds from the intercepted check. He then promptly began distributing funds under a guise of legitimacy to fellow participants, crafting false reasons on the checks' memo lines. Court documents revealed Williams extracted over $100,000 in cash from the illegitimate account and shuffled a quarter of a million dollars through his personal accounts.
Assistant D.A.s Katherine Ellis and Ishan Shivakumar from the Major Economic Crimes Bureau are credited for prosecuting the case, under the guidance of higher-ranking officials within the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. The investigation was lauded as a joint effort, with commendations extended to both past and current members of the legal and investigative team who played a pivotal role in exposing this financial fraud.
