ALBANY, N.Y.–A man has pleaded guilty to being part of a conspiracy that defrauded members of credit unions who were part of a shared branch network.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York said Victor Barriera, age 63, of the Bronx, N.Y., pled guilty to his role in the bank fraud conspiracy.
Barriera admitted that between at least December 2021 and April 2023, he was a member of a bank fraud conspiracy that targeted members of the shared branching network, which allowed members to an identification with their photograph, their account number, and the last four digits of their Social Security number.
“Barriera admitted that the conspirators exploited this network by creating fake identifications in the names of real credit union customers, but with photographs of other individuals, including Barriera, who conducted fraudulent transactions at shared branch member credit unions all over the country in exchange for drugs or a small portion of the stolen funds,” the U.S. attorney said.
Guilty Plea Entered
Barriera pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. In total, Barriera, admitted to successfully withdrawing at least $148,352 and attempting to fraudulently obtain an additional $15,000 while working as a member of the conspiracy.
When Barriera is sentenced by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino on August 22, 2024, he faces up to 30 years in prison, a term of supervised release of up to five years, and a fine of up to $1 million, according to the U.S. attorney.
Barriera will also be ordered to pay restitution to the victims of his crimes in the amount of $148,352, and has also agreed to forfeit $10,000 in U.S. currency seized by Cohoes Police Department in May 2022 when Barriera was arrested with codefendants David Daniyan and Gaysha Kennedy after being caught attempting to defraud a local credit union.
Additional Defendants
The U.S. attorney said the following defendants still have charges pending in this case:
- Oluwaseun Adekoya, age 38, of New Jersey, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft
- David Daniyan, age 59, of Brooklyn, N.Y., is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft
- Gaysha Kennedy, age 45, of Brooklyn, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud
- Danielle Cappetti, age 45, of the Bronx, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft
- Lesley Lucchese, age 53, of Brooklyn, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft
- Jerjuan Joyner, age 49, of Brooklyn, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud
- Akeem Balogun, 53, of Brooklyn, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
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