Erie Residents Charged in Bank Fraud Scheme that Used the Homeless to Cash Stolen Checks

ERIE, Pa. – Two former residents of Erie, Pennsylvania have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on charges of conspiracy and bank fraud, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

The seven-count indictment named Victor Keenan Lemmons, 33 and Jasmine Nicole Carter, 30, as defendants.

According to the indictment presented to the court, from in and around August 2015, to in and around September 2018, Lemmons and Carter engaged in a scheme where they stole checks from the mail and used homeless people with valid identification to cash the checks. The defendants removed the legitimate name from the checks and replaced them with the homeless persons’ name.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 210 years in prison and a fine of $7,000,000 for both defendants. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.

Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Erie Police Department and the Millcreek Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.