SIX DEFENDANTS INDICTED FOR BANK FRAUD AS PART OF FLORIDA-BASED “FELONY LANE GANG”

(Richmond, VA) – Six individuals were indicted yesterday as part of a bank fraud and identity theft ring that began in Florida and includes victims in Virginia, Maryland and Florida.  Chuck Rosenberg, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, announced the indictment.  Those charged in the indictment are:

UWEVON SHAWN DOCTOR, age 25, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida;
TUWAH GRANT, age 25, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida;
STERLING RASHAD HIGDON, age 25, of Plantation, Florida;
CAMERON STRIGGLES, age 25, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida;
MELVIN MOSLEY, age 25, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and
TEDRIC MIDDLETON, age 23, of Savannah, Georgia.

All of the defendants were charged with Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million dollars.  The indictment alleges a conspiracy that began in February 2007, and continued until May 4, 2007. The scheme originated in Florida with participants being referred to as the “Felony Lane Gang” (“FLG”).   The indictment alleges that members of the FLG would steal identification documents, credit cards, and checks books from female victims and negotiate the stolen checks at bank drive-through lanes by FLG members driving rental vehicles.  While the checks were being negotiated, a second member would drive a rented sport utility vehicle through the lane closest to the teller.  The occupants of this vehicle would engage in a dialogue with the bank teller to distract the teller’s attention from the fraudulent transaction being conducted in the farthest lane by a female FLG member. The female FLG member typically wore a wig to match the hair color of the photo on the stolen identification being used in the transaction.

The case is being investigated by members of the Metro-Richmond Identity Theft Task Force.  The investigation was initiated by the Chesterfield Police Department, the Ashland Police Department, and the Henrico County Police Department, all of whom are continuing to assist in the federal investigation.  The Task Force was formed in the fall of 2004 and is housed at the offices of the United States Postal Inspection Service, located in Henrico County.  Full-time member agencies include: the Postal Inspection Service; United States Secret Service; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Henrico County Police Department; Richmond Police Department; and Chesterfield Police Department.  Associated members include the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office; Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General; Diplomatic Security Service, Washington Field Office; Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General; and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Washington Division.  For more information on the Task Force, including assistance for victims of identity theft, visit: www.richmondIDtheft.com.

Federal prosecutions for the Task Force are handled by the United States Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Colombell Marshall and Special Assistant United States Attorney David W. Tooker.

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