PROVIDENCE – A Providence man who willingly participated in a bank fraud scheme that obtained the bank routing and account information of unsuspecting individuals, and later used that information to create and deposit counterfeit checks and withdraw funds, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
In pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud, Julio Ariza, 27, previously admitted to a federal judge that from approximately October 28, 2020, to November 4, 2020, he arranged for, and coordinated the deposit of ,at least seven counterfeit checks, with the intent to defraud banks out of $102,694.38.
According to information presented to the court, Ariza recruited individuals to allow counterfeit checks to be deposited into their accounts; deposited counterfeit checks into those accounts; and aided and abetted in the withdrawal of funds from those accounts.