FOUR CHARGED IN MULTISTATE BANK FRAUD AND MONEY-LAUNDERING SCHEME INVOLVING STOLEN AND ALTERED CORPORATE CHECKS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Four people have been charged in an eight-count federal indictment accusing them of participating in a multistate bank-fraud and money-laundering operation built around stolen corporate checks that were altered before being deposited into accounts controlled by members of the group.

The defendants are Cory L. Sims, Jr., of Bridgeport, Connecticut; Dondre O. Daniels, of Bridgeport and Tampa, Florida; Christian M. Hill, of Kansas City, Missouri; and Makhia L. Duncan, of Des Moines, Iowa.

The indictment was returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City and later made public following Hill’s initial appearance in court. Daniels and Duncan were subsequently taken into custody. Sims remains at large.

According to the indictment, the scheme involved checks originally issued by a multinational corporation to legitimate vendors. Prosecutors allege the defendants unlawfully obtained those checks and altered the payee information before attempting to convert the corporate funds for their own use.

The indictment alleges that the original vendor names were removed from the checks and replaced either with the names of defendants or with the name of a victim whose identity had been stolen. The altered checks were then deposited into accounts controlled by participants in the scheme, after which the proceeds were withdrawn, transferred, or moved through additional transactions.

The accusations describe more than the simple deposit of stolen checks. Prosecutors contend that members of the group used bank accounts, ATM withdrawals, electronic transfers, business payments, and other financial transactions to move money after the altered checks had entered the banking system.

Cory L. Sims, Jr. and Dondre O. Daniels are accused of participating in multiple transactions involving altered checks. According to the indictment, checks were deposited into accounts opened either in Sims’ own name or under the identity of another person.

Daniels is accused of making ATM withdrawals in several cities using cards linked to those accounts. Prosecutors further allege that Sims and Daniels moved fraud proceeds through cash withdrawals, transfers, payments made to Daniels’s business, and electronic transactions designed to distribute or use the money after it had been obtained.

The use of an identity-theft victim’s name adds another dimension to the case because federal prosecutors contend that stolen personal identifying information was used as part of the financial activity rather than the scheme being limited to forged or altered checks.

Daniels is charged with bank fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and aggravated identity theft.

Sims is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The indictment separately accuses Christian M. Hill of obtaining an altered corporate check and depositing it into his personal bank account. Prosecutors allege that Hill later withdrew and laundered more than $45,000 from the proceeds.

Hill is charged with bank fraud and two counts of money laundering.

Makhia L. Duncan is accused of depositing another altered check into his personal account before withdrawing and laundering more than $34,000 through subsequent financial transactions.

Duncan is charged with bank fraud and one count of money laundering.

The federal charges expose the defendants to significant potential penalties if they are convicted. Bank fraud carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison. Conspiracy to commit money laundering carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, while the charged money-laundering offense carries a maximum penalty of 10 years.

Aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year consecutive sentence if a defendant is convicted of that charge.

Those statutory maximums do not establish the sentences any defendant would necessarily receive. Federal sentencing decisions depend on the offense of conviction, applicable federal sentencing provisions, the defendant’s criminal history, judicial findings, and other factors considered by the court.

The government is also seeking forfeiture of proceeds connected to the charged offenses, meaning prosecutors are asking the court to authorize the recovery of property or money determined to be traceable to the criminal conduct if the government obtains the required convictions and forfeiture findings.

The structure described in the indictment illustrates why check fraud can become a broader financial-crime investigation once stolen funds begin moving through the banking system. Altering the payee may facilitate the initial fraud, while subsequent withdrawals, transfers, business payments, or electronic transactions can create separate money-laundering allegations when prosecutors contend those transactions involved criminal proceeds.

The multistate nature of the case also extends beyond Missouri. The defendants are associated with Connecticut, Florida, Missouri, and Iowa, and the indictment describes financial activity involving multiple accounts and withdrawals in multiple cities.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James Kirkpatrick is prosecuting it for the Western District of Missouri.

All four defendants are charged by indictment, and the allegations have not been proven at trial. They are presumed innocent unless and until the government establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

Sims remains at large, while proceedings involving Daniels, Hill, and Duncan continue following Hill’s initial court appearance and the subsequent arrests of Daniels and Duncan.

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