SHERMAN, Texas – A Wylie man has been sentenced to prison for federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei today.
Noble Nwachukwu, 26, pleaded guilty on Oct. 23, 2019, to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant. The district court additionally ordered that Nwachukwu forfeit $56,921.40.
“An act of fraud against a FDIC-insured banking institution is ultimately a fraud on the American taxpayer,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “EDTX, along with its federal and local law enforcement partners, will do whatever it takes to keep our local financial institutions free from fraud and other criminal opportunism.”
According to information presented in court, in January 2019 law enforcement officers responded to a suspicious activity call and found Nwachukwu with $18,960 in cash in his vehicle. A consent search of Nwachukwu’s cellular phone revealed a fraudulent check cashing scheme where fraudulent checks were drawn on Key Bank HELOC (home equity line of credit) accounts belonging to unrelated victims. These checks were deposited into the account of Nwachukwu and another individual. A total of three checks were deposited. The bank froze the funds from one check totaling $29,900. A second check for $37,900 was also deposited, with $37,200 subsequently withdrawn in cash. A third check for $37,200 was deposited but the funds were frozen by the bank. Nwachukwu and his accomplice Chijioke Maduewesi were indicted by a federal grand jury on July 9, 2019. Maduewesi pleaded guilty on July 29, 2021 and is awaiting sentencing.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Wylie Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin McClendon.
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