Six people, including a U.S. Postal Service employee, are accused of using Facebook to recruit participants in a Fresno-based bank fraud scheme that sought to steal nearly $1 million. (Shutterstock)
- Los Angeles woman and five Fresno residents charged in $1 million bank fraud scheme using social media to recruit account holders.
- U.S. Postal Service employee allegedly stole checks, which were deposited into over 100 accounts and withdrawn before banks detected fraud.
- Defendants face up to 30 years in prison if convicted, with an additional two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft.
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A Los Angeles woman appeared in federal court in Fresno on Thursday on charges related to a year-long bank fraud scheme that attempted to defraud credit unions of nearly $1 million, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
Abreiana Rogers, 29, was charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, four counts of bank fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
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Five Fresno residents — Nyric Hinton, 26, Zion Brewer, 39, Zorian Temple, 23, Davonntae Barfield, 30, and Harry Cooper Neal, 29 — were charged in November 2024.
Hinton faces an additional bank fraud charge, while Temple and Barfield each face two counts of bank fraud.
Prosecutors say the defendants used Facebook and Facebook Messenger between April 2022 and Jan. 31, 2023, to recruit bank account holders, promising them a share of fraudulently deposited funds.
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Defendants Use Accounts to Deposit Stolen, Fraudulent Checks
The defendants then used those accounts to deposit stolen and fraudulent checks. Brewer, a U.S. Postal Service employee, allegedly stole mail containing checks and financial information, which he provided to his co-conspirators.
Authorities said the defendants rapidly withdrew the fraudulently deposited funds through electronic transfers and cash withdrawals, sharing the proceeds among themselves and others.
To evade fraud detection, they exchanged information on financial institutions’ security vulnerabilities and instructed account holders to claim their accounts had been compromised if contacted by the banks.
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The scheme allegedly involved more than 100 bank accounts and resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Spivak is prosecuting the case.
A status conference is set for June 4, 2025.
If convicted, the defendants face up to 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy and bank fraud charges, prosecutors said. Rogers also faces a mandatory two-year consecutive sentence if convicted of aggravated identity theft.
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