Chaiya Maley-Jackson, a 26-year-old woman from Concord, North Carolina, has been sentenced to a total of 27 months in prison for creating and selling fraudulent documents. The announcement was made by Russ Ferguson, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Maley-Jackson was already on federal probation for a similar charge in 2023 when she was indicted on new charges, leading to her probation being revoked and the new sentence to be served consecutively.
According to a press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office, between October 2023 and October 2024, Maley-Jackson earned over $49,000 from the operation. She ran a Facebook page under the pseudonym Yaya Ling where she advertised and maintained communication with customers seeking to acquire the fake documents, which included Social Security Cards among various types. Additionally, Maley-Jackson admitted to earning more than $320,000 from January 2020 to August 2022 by producing at least 400 Social Security Cards, eight driver's licenses, and six COVID vaccine cards, illustrating the extent of her fraudulent activities.
The investigation led by the FBI's Charlotte Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis, highlighted the scope of Maley-Jackson's scheme. The original operation, known as Diva Documents/CPN Services, marketed fake paystubs, lease agreements, bank statements, and other false identification forms necessary to deceitfully apply for loans or rentals. The court documents revealed that Maley-Jackson was fully aware of the illegitimate uses her customers planned for these forged documents. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley and Special Assistant United States Attorney Eric Frick were in charge of the prosecution, with appreciation expressed towards the United States Probation Office for the Middle District of North Carolina for their assistance.
The sentence is intended not only to punish but also to dissuade others from attempting to illegally profit off of falsifying official documentation. In a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office, U.S. Attorney Ferguson credited the teamwork between the investigative and probation bodies that worked closely to uncover and put to rest these fraudulent activities, seeking to uphold the integrity of vital personal documentation.
