A 34-year-old Hyattsville man is facing federal bank fraud charges after investigators say he stole more than $1 million from dozens of senior citizens by secretly rerouting their mail and looting their bank accounts. Roy Dave Davis was charged in a federal criminal complaint, accused of running a scheme that allegedly targeted victims averaging 81 years old.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland, Davis obtained personally identifiable information for numerous customers of a financial institution and then changed the mailing addresses tied to victims' accounts to locations in Maryland that he controlled. Prosecutors say the information was obtained in May 2023. Afterward, he used debit cards tied to victims' accounts to make ATM withdrawals and direct purchases, ultimately defrauding more than 40 victims.
As reported by WMAR-2 News, Davis is accused of ordering debit cards in victims' names and also obtaining and using cards belonging to small businesses, deceased individuals, and even a charter school. Investigators allege he spent more than $100,000 of the stolen funds on luxury fashion items purchased with victims' debit cards. Court filings cited in the case describe fraudulent ATM withdrawals.
Federal Investigators and Prosecutors on the Case
If convicted, Davis faces up to 30 years in federal prison, a maximum penalty for bank fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1344 that can also carry a fine of up to $1,000,000 per count, per Eisner Gorin LLP.
A Growing National Pattern of Elder Financial Exploitation
The alleged scheme lands amid a documented surge in elder financial fraud nationwide. In its 2024 Elder Fraud Report, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reported that losses among victims aged 60 and older rose from the previous year.
Mail-based address fraud like the kind alleged in Davis's case exploits a known vulnerability in how change-of-address requests are processed. The U.S. Postal Service does send confirmation letters to both the old and new addresses whenever it receives a change-of-address request, according to the USPS Office of Inspector General. The system provides notice of change-of-address requests.
A Separate Case in Greenbelt Federal Court
In April, federal jurors in Greenbelt convicted a D.C. man in a separate multi-jurisdictional mail theft and bank fraud scheme that funneled nearly $1 million in altered checks through financial institutions.
Charges in the Davis case remain allegations at this stage, and the outcome of the prosecution will determine whether the 30-year maximum penalty comes into play.
