NEWARK, N.J. – A Bergen County, New Jersey, woman was sentenced today to 63 months in prison for an elaborate bank frank scheme resulting in losses of more than $2 million, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael Honig announced.
Alexis Taylor, 32, of Hackensack, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez in Newark federal court to one count of an indictment charging her with conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Judge Vazquez imposed the sentence by videoconference today.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From March 2017 to June 2018, Taylor agreed with others to execute a scheme to defraud various financial institutions located in New Jersey, New York, and elsewhere. She purchased a significant amount of stolen personal identifying information via the dark web, including bank account information and online security question answers. Taylor then used the information to access victim accounts at various banks and other financial institutions.
Taylor, and others acting at her direction, would travel to banks and impersonate victim account holders to withdraw funds from accounts held by the victims at those institutions. Taylor would also communicate with the banks by phone and request that wire transfers be made from victim accounts and into accounts held by Taylor. Finally, it was part of the scheme that Taylor would travel to victims’ homes and intercept debit cards and other financial documents from the mail to facilitate the fraud.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Vazquez sentenced Taylor to four years of supervised release. A hearing on restitution is scheduled for May 10, 2021.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Mark McKevitt, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. She also thanked members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Closter Police Department for their assistance in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony P. Torntore of the U.S. Attorney’s Cybercrimes Unit in Newark.