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Between late 2018 and early 2019, the DA’s Office and the NYPD received a number of complaints from residents who had been victimized in mail fishing schemes.
By Forum Staff
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, joined by the United States Postal Inspector in Charge Philip R.
Barnett, recently announced that Davonte Sconiers, Allejo Walters and six other individuals have been charged in seven different indictments by a Queens County grand jury after an 18-month-long investigation. The defendants have been arraigned in Supreme Court on grand larceny charges and other crimes. The defendants, in separate incidents, allegedly cashed forged and – in some instances – stolen checks from Queens County residents. The checks were deposited at multiple financial institutions throughout the borough and in other jurisdictions between 2018 and 2019.
District Attorney Katz said, “These cases illustrate how important it is to contact law enforcement when you believe you have been the victim of a phishing scam. This investigation began after my Office and the NYPD received numerous complaints from the public. The defendants in these cases allegedly embraced mail phishing and check forgery as money-making enterprises. One of the defendants allegedly acquired real checks that had been mailed, then changed the payees and money figures and obtained the checking account number of real victims to cash forged checks. These fraudulent deposits totaled tens of thousands of dollars. Caught and in custody, all eight defendants face serious charges.”
Inspector in Charge Bartlett said, “These defendants colluded to steal from the U.S. Mail, then used the stolen information to rob customers of their financial DNA. Identifying and arresting these individuals is the mission of the Postal Inspection Service, maintaining the safety of an American tradition and its customers.”
Walters, 24, was arraigned last week on an indictment before Queens Supreme Court Justice Stephanie
Zaro. Walters is charged in separate schemes from the co-defendants with grand larceny in the third degree, and other related crimes. Defendant Sconiers, 25, who is also charged separately, was arraigned on July 1, 2021, before Justice Zaro on two of the seven indictments.
According to the charges, between late 2018 and early 2019, the DA’s Office and the City Police Department received a number of complaints from residents who had been victimized in mail fishing schemes. A joint investigation with the NYPD and the United States Postal Inspection Service commenced, which included Court-authorized search warrants for mobile phones, social media accounts, and residential searches. The cell phones allegedly contained numerous images of checks, bank deposit receipts and text messages between various defendants discussing bank account limits, PIN numbers and security questions.
DA Katz said, defendant Sconiers allegedly made deposits of fraudulent checks totaling well over $20,000. Following a Court-authorized search of this defendant’s home, law enforcement allegedly recovered a bank debit card that was linked to a bank that had received numerous deposits of stolen and forged United States Postal Service money orders. That same search led law enforcement to recover Sconier’s phones and following a Court-authorized search of those phones, defendant Sconiers and two others were separately indicted on grand larceny and conspiracy charges following the alleged discovery of additional stolen and forged checks.
