Three people have been handed down a total of 16 years in federal prison for their involvement in a scheme involving mail theft and bank fraud that extended over a number of years.
Cortez Venable, Ephraim Aung, and Brooke Bryan collaborated to carry out bank fraud by utilizing pilfered financial documents, such as checks and money orders, acquired from U.S. Postal Service (USPS) collection boxes over a span of six months, from October 2021 to April 2022.
The scheme revolved around robbing USPS letter carriers to acquire “arrow keys,” which are special keys used to open collection boxes. Venable and his unidentified accomplices carried out at least one robbery targeting a postal worker, while Aung served as a lookout during other incidents.
Venable and Aung utilized the stolen keys to pilfer mail from collection boxes within the Indianapolis area. Subsequently, they employed the stolen checks and money orders to fabricate counterfeit checks or modify existing ones through a fraudulent practice referred to as “card cracking.”
Recruiting individuals to deposit fraudulent checks into their personal bank accounts was a key part of the scheme. This was often done through social media solicitations. Once deposited, the scammers would swiftly withdraw or transfer the funds before the banks realized that the checks were worthless.
Furthermore, Bryan actively engaged in the scheme by depositing stolen financial instruments into her personal account.
During the search of Venable’s car and home, law enforcement officers discovered a collection of incriminating evidence. This included stolen mail, arrow keys, over $70,000 worth of stolen checks, and four firearms. Similarly, when Bryan and Aung’s shared apartment was searched, authorities found stolen checks, altered money orders, and equipment specifically used for creating fraudulent checks. Additionally, multiple firearms were also discovered at the scene.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the FBI, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana collaborated on the investigation.