The Rochester Hills leader of a $63 million scheme involving stealing and selling checks was sentenced Wednesday.
Jaiswan Williams was sentenced to 10 years and two months in prison in connection with the scheme.
The 32-year-old and three other defendants allegedly stole and sold thousands of checks through online channels, according to a Department of Justice news release.
In his sentencing, Williams joins Daquan Foreman (four years in prison), Vanessa Hargrove (one year and one day in prison) and Crystal Jenkins (one day and three years’ supervised release), who were also convicted in the scheme.
According to the DOJ, Williams and Foreman accepted checks from postal worker employees Hargrove and Jenkins in exchange for payments. Williams and Foreman then marketed the checks on an online messaging application through the channels “Whole Foods Slipsss” and “Uber Eats Slips.” Buyers would then try to fraudulently cash the checks.
Authorities determined the group marketed more than 10,000 checks for sale with a combined value of more than $63 million, according to the DOJ.
“If you abuse the U.S. Postal Service and victimize the citizens who rely upon it, we will utilize every avenue and tool at our disposal to prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” Detroit U.S. Postal Service Division Inspector Felicia B. George.
Williams’ lawyer Steve Fishman requested his client receive a sentence of six years for his offenses. In his sentencing memo, Fishman cited the fact that Williams is a good father to his children and partner to his girlfriend.
“Who is the real Jaiswan Williams? Defense counsel submits that he is the person that he is today rather than the man who committed this offense,” said Fishman, arguing that the six-year sentence would be sufficient but not greater than necessary.
Judge Judith E. Levy gave Williams his sentence on the basis that it also reflected a conviction for money laundering in 2022 involving $1.5 million in fraudulent pandemic unemployment insurance benefit claims, according to the DOJ.
mbryan@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Oakland Co. leader of $63M check selling scheme sentenced
Reporting by Max Bryan, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Max Bryan, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
