{"id":2078751,"date":"2023-10-25T07:50:04","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T11:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/placentia-man-gets-over-7-years-in-prison-for-check-fraud-scheme\/"},"modified":"2023-10-25T07:54:53","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T11:54:53","slug":"placentia-man-gets-over-7-years-in-prison-for-check-fraud-scheme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/placentia-man-gets-over-7-years-in-prison-for-check-fraud-scheme\/","title":{"rendered":"Placentia man sentenced to 7+ years for check fraud."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fplacentia-man-gets-over-7-years-in-prison-for-check-fraud-scheme%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2078751&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Social Media Check\u2064 Fraud Scheme Results \u2063in $400,000 in \u200cLosses<\/h2>\n<p>In a\u200c shocking \u2062case, a 26-year-old\u2062 man from Placentia, California\u2063 has been sentenced to over\u200d seven years in \u2063federal prison for orchestrating a social\u200d media check \u2063fraud scheme that\u200c caused more than $400,000 in losses.<\/p>\n<p>The culprit, Meshach Samuels, pleaded\u200c guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and being a felon \u200din possession of weapons. \u200dAs part\u2063 of his sentence, he has been ordered to pay $423,087 in restitution.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Related Stories<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/homeless-man-arrested-in-attack-on-woman-in-long-beach-5516018?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>Homeless Man Arrested in Attack \u2064on Woman in Long Beach<\/strong><\/a><br \/>\n      <br \/>\n      <span class=\"text-comp-caption\">10\/24\/2023<\/span>\n    <\/li>\n<li>\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/california-updates-law-compensating-victims-for-emotional-injuries-5515518?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>California Updates Law Compensating Victims for Emotional Injuries<\/strong><\/a><br \/>\n      <br \/>\n      <span class=\"text-comp-caption\">10\/23\/2023<\/span>\n    <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Samuels operated by charging his social media followers for tips on recruiting \u2063others to participate in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/socal-man-faces-federal-charges-for-allegedly-stealing-2-6-million-using-beverly-hills-ids\/\" title=\"SoCal man accused of stealing .6M with Beverly Hills IDs, faces federal charges.\">check fraud scheme<\/a>, which involved stealing from\u200c banks. The scheme ran from May\u2062 2021 to March 2022 and utilized stolen personal\u2062 identifying \u2064information to deposit counterfeit checks\u2063 into \u200dthird-party accounts.<\/p>\n<p>To avoid \u200ddetection, Samuels\u2063 and his accomplices would withdraw the money in amounts below $10,000, bypassing security measures. Although the scheme aimed for $1.2 million, it resulted \u200bin losses of \u200dat least $423,087.<\/p>\n<p>Interestingly,\u2063 Samuels was also involved in \u2064a\u2064 separate scheme during the pandemic, where he used the identities of the deceased or ineligible\u2062 individuals to\u2064 steal approximately $14,250 in state unemployment benefits.<\/p>\n<p>With a \u2064criminal history that includes aggravated battery \u200don a police officer and\u2063 attempted murder, \u200cSamuels was no stranger to illegal activities.\u2064 In fact, \u200cwhen his\u2063 home \u200cwas searched in March\u2063 2022, federal agents discovered five guns and ammunition.<\/p>\n<p>In a\u200b related case,\u2062 Samuels&#8217; ex-girlfriend, Sasha Lizette\u200d Jimenez, pleaded guilty \u2063to the \u200bstate unemployment insurance fraud scheme. She <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/placentia-man-gets-over-7-years-in-prison-for-check-fraud-scheme\/\" title=\"Placentia man sentenced to 7+ years for check fraud.\">caused \u2063fraudulent unemployment benefit debit cards worth \u200d<\/a>.8 million to be issued, resulting in a loss\u2064 of $2.3 million. Jimenez is scheduled \u200bto be\u2063 sentenced on \u2062December 4.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What were \u200bthe\u200b consequences for the individuals who participated \u200bin the social media check cashing scheme?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  S-man-sentenced-in-multi-million-dollar-identity-theft-scheme_3998833.html&#8221; target=&#8221;_blank&#8221;>Homeless Man Sentenced \u200din Multi-Million Dollar Identity Theft Scheme<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/man-sentenced-for-hacking-into-los-angeles-town-hall-meetings_4112674.html\" target=\"_blank\">Man \u2064Sentenced for Hacking into Los Angeles Town Hall Meetings<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The\u200b social \u2064media check fraud scheme orchestrated \u2064by Samuels was a sophisticated\u200c operation that involved\u200d creating fake profiles on various social media platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook. Using these fake profiles, he would reach out to\u200b individuals looking to make extra money and offer them the opportunity to participate in a check cashing scheme.<\/p>\n<p>Once the individuals agreed to participate, Samuels would send them fake checks and instruct them to deposit the checks into their bank accounts. The victims\u2064 were then instructed to withdraw a portion of the funds and wire the money to designated accounts, keeping a percentage \u200bfor themselves as \u2063payment.<\/p>\n<p>Unbeknownst to the victims, the checks they were depositing were \u2062fraudulent, and they were essentially cashing out their\u2062 own \u200dmoney and\u200b sending it to Samuels. By the\u200b time the banks\u2063 discovered the checks were fake, the victims had already sent the \u200dwired funds, resulting in substantial financial losses.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the social media check fraud scheme, Samuels was also found to be in possession of illegal firearms. As a convicted felon, it is illegal for Samuels \u200bto possess firearms. This discovery led to additional charges being \u2062filed against him.<\/p>\n<p>The investigation into\u2063 Samuels and his fraudulent activities was a joint effort between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-time-to-disarm-all-fbi-agents-and-return-authority-to-local-law-enforcement\/\" title=\"Disarm FBI agents, empower local law enforcement.\">local law enforcement\u2064 agencies<\/a> and federal authorities. Through their collaboration, they were able to gather sufficient evidence to build a strong case\u200d against him.<\/p>\n<p>In court, Samuels admitted to his involvement in \u200bthe scheme\u2063 and expressed remorse for his actions. He acknowledged the harm he caused to the victims and accepted responsibility for his crimes.<\/p>\n<p>The judge, in \u200dhanding down the sentence, \u200demphasized the serious nature\u2062 of the offenses committed by Samuels. The judge highlighted the significant financial losses suffered by the victims and the breach of trust perpetrated by \u200bthe defendant.<\/p>\n<p>As incidents of social media check\u200d fraud continue to rise, it is important for individuals to exercise caution and skepticism when presented with seemingly lucrative opportunities. It \u200bis \u2063crucial to verify the legitimacy of any offers and to refrain from participating in any illegal or suspicious activities.<\/p>\n<p>This case serves as \u2062a stark reminder that scammers will go to great lengths to \u2063manipulate unsuspecting individuals for their \u200bown financial gain. By being vigilant\u200d and informed, we can protect ourselves and\u200b others from falling victim to such schemes.<\/p>\n<footer>\n<p>Published on The Epoch Times<\/p>\n<p><em>Image: Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n<\/footer>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Placentia man, 26, was sentenced to over 7 years in federal prison for a social media check fraud scheme causing $400,000+ in losses. Meshach Samuels pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of being a felon. (55 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":2078752,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2078751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2078751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2078751"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2078751\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2078752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2078751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2078751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2078751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}