FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or
MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885
DECEMBER 19, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOURTH CO-SCHEMER PLEADS GUILTY TO BANK FRAUD
AND AGGRAVATED IDENTITY THEFT
Defendants Impersonated Account Holders to Fraudulently Obtain at Least $520,000
Greenbelt, Maryland - Aldophe Roland Zoa, age 29, of New York City, pleaded guilty today to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with a scheme to defraud a bank and some of its account holders by fraudulently withdrawing and transferring at least $520,000 from their accounts, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.
According to his plea agreement, from at least October 2005 until April 2006, Zoa, Ghislain Nkoto, Desiree Venn and Aiah Gbondo obtained the names and bank account information of at least six account holders with the Bank of America, obtained false identification documents bearing the name(s) of the victim account holders, and then impersonated them at bank branches in order to withdraw or transfer funds from the customer accounts. For example, beginning in at least February 2006, Zoa impersonated a bank customer and withdrew from the customer's account at least $68,200.
Zoa faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for bank fraud and a mandatory term of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft, consecutive to any term of imprisonment imposed for the bank fraud. No date was set for his sentencing.
Ghislain Nkoto, age 29, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, pleaded guilty to the same charges yesterday and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 1, 2008. Desiree Venn, age 25, of Beltsville, Maryland pleaded guilty to bank fraud and Aiah Gbondo, age 29, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. No date has been set for their sentencing.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the United States Secret Service for its investigative work and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney James A. Crowell, who is prosecuting the case.