L.A. County,California (Thechieftainspear) – A Lancaster resident has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison for his involvement in a complex fraud scheme that forged and deposited more than $1.2 million in counterfeit money orders.
Sterlyn Lee Smith Jr., 49, received a 57-month prison sentence, followed by three years of supervised release. In addition, he has been ordered to pay over $432,000 in restitution, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Authorities say that between July 2013 and February 2019, Smith and his co-conspirators manipulated money orders originally purchased at U.S. Post Offices in California and Nevada. They fraudulently increased the money orders’ values and deposited them into bank accounts under different identities.
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The scheme allowed the group to withdraw funds before banks could recognize the fraudulent transactions. Investigators revealed that over 1,200 forged money orders were deposited or attempted to be deposited during the operation.
Smith ultimately pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud, one for each financial institution targeted in the scam.
Acting U.S. Attorney Sue Fahami for the District of Nevada emphasized the significance of prosecuting financial crimes, stating, “This case underscores the critical need to investigate fraud that impacts both banks and the public.”
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the law enforcement arm of the United States Postal Service (USPS), led the investigation.
Officials encourage the public to report any suspected mail fraud by calling the USPS Fraud Complaint Hotline at 1-800-372-8347 or visiting www.usps.com/postalinspectors.
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