A federal grand jury indicted six people for allegedly conspiring to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft by depositing stolen U.S. Treasury checks into accounts they controlled. Prosecutors allege the conduct occurred between August 2023 and May 2024.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging six defendants in a financial fraud scheme prosecutors say targeted victims nationwide. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York, the case centers on alleged coordination to obtain funds from financial institutions by using stolen U.S. Treasury checks. Prosecutors allege the defendants opened bank accounts and controlled those accounts in order to deposit the checks and extract money connected to the fraud. The indictment includes charges for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, reflecting prosecutors’ position that the scheme involved misuse of identity-related access or information as part of depositing and processing the fraudulent payments. The government alleges the conspiracy operated over a defined period, from August 2023 through May 2024. If proven, the allegations would indicate a large-scale approach combining identity theft tactics with check-based financial exploitation, involving coordinated account creation and payment handling. The case is being pursued by federal prosecutors in the Western District of New York.