Arizona and Indiana Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Nationwide Bank Fraud and Money Laundering

Federal judges sentenced three leaders of a nationwide bank fraud and money laundering conspiracy to a combined 421 months in prison.

Court documents and evidence presented at sentencing showed that Thaddeus Jerome Lee, Latroy L. Currie, and Johnnie Lee Thomas founded and led fraud and laundering operations that spanned from California to Connecticut, including Iowa. Over two and a half years, they tried to deposit at least $15 million in stolen checks at financial institutions across the country and successfully obtained $2.9 million in fraudulent proceeds.

Lee and Thomas lived in Arizona, while Currie resided in Indiana. They recruited dozens of accomplices, created fake business entities to facilitate the scheme, and directed co-conspirators to open fraudulent checking accounts, deposit stolen checks, and withdraw funds. The ringleaders then laundered the stolen money by splitting proceeds with their recruits.

Lee received 151 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
Currie received 135 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
Thomas received 135 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Because the federal system does not allow parole, all three must serve their full terms.

In addition, federal judges sentenced 11 other co-conspirators to prison for their roles:

Tiarra Lenae Jones – 96 months, five years’ supervised release
Stephen Rashad Haley – 384 months, five years’ supervised release
Lovely Hall – 60 months, three years’ supervised release
Kila Wright – 54 months, three years’ supervised release
Kira Ashleigh Johnson – 42 months, three years’ supervised release
John Ivory Winston, Jr. – 30 months, three years’ supervised release
Reanna R. Haymon – 12 months and one day, three years’ supervised release
Shapara Monee Hunter – 8 months, two years’ supervised release
Mario Ricardo Smith – 6 months, three years’ supervised release
Jazlinn Tapp – 4 months, three years’ supervised release
Somore Renee Hill – 12 months and one day, three years’ supervised release

Four additional defendants—Malik K. Marshal, Toni Lynette Renfroe, Carnell A. Thomas, Jr., and Erin R. Smith—still await sentencing.

“A combined total of 421 months in prison for the leaders of this check fraud scheme should send a message about the seriousness of the crime,” said Special Agent in Charge William Steenson of IRS Criminal Investigation’s St. Louis Field Office. “Stealing checks, money laundering, and bank fraud are not victimless crimes. These sentences prove IRS-CI’s commitment to exposing check fraud and holding offenders accountable.”

The FBI added: “These defendants orchestrated a sophisticated illegal scheme to defraud businesses and banking systems. This criminal activity erodes public trust and undermines economic security. The FBI will continue to work with our partners to investigate and bring to justice those who use deception to steal from victims and businesses.”

U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa announced the sentences. The case involved investigations by the IRS-Criminal Investigations Division and the FBI, with assistance from the Postal Inspection Service, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, ATF, Homeland Security Investigations, Secret Service, and numerous state and local agencies.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Lubben, Kristin Herrera, and Kyle Essley (former) prosecuted the case.