Three men from southern New Jersey were charged with negotiating fraudulent checks with forged signatures, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced on April 4.
Eugene O. Koranteng, 30, and Emmanuel S. Yirenkyi, 28, both of Maple Shade, New Jersey, and Misty Sarfo-Adu, 28, of Deptford, New Jersey, are each charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. They are scheduled to appear by videoconference today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sharon A. King.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Koranteng, Yirenkyi, and Sarfo-Adu conspired to commit bank fraud by obtaining blank checks containing the names and account information of unsuspecting customers of a credit card company. They made the checks payable to members of the conspiracy, forged the customers’ signatures on the checks, and negotiated the checks at financial institutions. In July 2018, Sarfo-Adu sent Yirenkyi a photograph of four blank checks with the account information of a customer of the credit card company. One of the checks was then made payable to Koranteng for $8,750 and deposited into Koranteng’s bank account. Another one of the checks was made payable to another conspirator for $8,750 and deposited into that conspirator’s credit union account. Members of the conspiracy also deposited other fraudulent checks using other customers’ credit card account information into the same accounts belonging to Koranteng and the other conspirator.
The count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, the Moorestown Police Department, the Mount Laurel Police Department, and the Champlin, Minnesota, Police Department for their assistance in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaints are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
