A 69-year-old man who once lived in Miami-Dade County has pleaded guilty to orchestrating a $14 million check fraud scheme that drained thousands of bank accounts across Miami-Dade and Broward counties over the better part of a decade. Eri Guzman Ortiz, who operated under aliases including “Cindy Sullivan,” admitted to one count of wire fraud and now faces sentencing on November 5.
According to Tampa Bay 28, Guzman Ortiz used fraudulent and unauthorized checks to steal millions from thousands of bank accounts tied to individuals and businesses, transferring the stolen funds into accounts belonging to sham companies he helped set up. Federal court records reviewed by the Department of Justice show he collaborated with a Canada-based co-conspirator from at least 2015 through December 2023, with email communications documenting the partnership dating back to at least 2021.
Sham Foundations Designed to Dodge Bank Scrutiny
Court filings reveal Guzman Ortiz was no passive participant — he actively coached his Canadian partner on how to keep the scheme running under the radar. He advised setting up shell businesses with deceptive medical or charitable names, like “Emergency Care Services Inc.” or “MEDI-CARE FOUNDATION,” explaining that banks granted medical entities “more leeway” and that foundations could process up to $300,000 in deposits before triggering a hold, per the same records.
The scheme's mechanics relied on Remotely Created Checks, or RCCs — unsigned payment drafts generated using stolen bank account and routing numbers that carry printed authorization legends such as “Authorized by Drawer” instead of a physical signature. RCCs were originally designed for legitimate uses like telemarketing and preauthorized bill payments, but they clear through automated bank systems without requiring a traditional signature, making them a tool ripe for abuse in the hands of fraudsters.
A Lie to Police, and a Betrayal of His Own Partner
The operation nearly unraveled in February 2021, when a police detective contacted Guzman Ortiz about a dummy account under investigation. He falsely told the detective the account was closed — all while secretly continuing to process unauthorized checks through a different sham entity, according to court filings.
Guzman Ortiz also turned on his own co-conspirator. In August 2023, he agreed to cash two cashier's checks totaling $54,711.36 for a 20% fee, but instead created dummy companies matching the payee names to divert the entire sum to himself, indictment records show.
Prosecutors and Federal Exposure
The case is being prosecuted by Daniel Zytnick and Anna Forgie of the Criminal Division's Fraud Section, while Nicole Grosnoff is handling forfeiture for the Southern District of Florida. Under federal wire fraud statute 18 U.S.C. § 1343, Guzman Ortiz faces up to 20 years in prison, though the law allows for a maximum of 30 years when a scheme affects a financial institution, according to the U.S. Code. It remains an open question how heavily federal sentencing guidelines will weigh the scheme's multi-year duration, its $14 million scale, and the involvement of an international co-conspirator when Guzman Ortiz is sentenced.
Part of a Nationwide Surge in Check Fraud
The case lands amid a dramatic nationwide rise in check fraud. U.S. financial institutions filed 682,276 Suspicious Activity Reports related to check fraud with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network in 2024, up from 350,000 in 2021, according to the Thomson Reuters Institute. The American Bankers Association and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service formed a national anti-check fraud partnership in 2024, citing U.S. Treasury Department data showing check fraud surged 385% nationwide following the COVID-19 pandemic, per the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Federal regulations under Regulation CC establish transfer and presentment warranties for Remotely Created Checks that shift liability for unauthorized RCCs from the paying bank to the depositary bank that first accepted the item, according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. In June 2025, federal bank regulators including the Federal Reserve Board, FDIC, and OCC launched a joint initiative seeking public input on new regulatory and technological steps to curb payment and check fraud, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
The Guzman Ortiz case is one of several recent South Florida prosecutions tied to check fraud. Hoodline previously reported on a $27.9 million Treasury check scheme in Pembroke Pines, along with more recent cases involving forged checks and check-kiting across Miami-Dade and Broward.
