SCRANTON — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle), published as received.
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Justin William Davis, age 39, of Berwick, PA, pleaded guilty today before United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion to Aggravated Identity Theft, as part of a so-called mail “fishing” scheme. Individuals involved in the scheme used improvised devices to pull mail from United States Post Office collection boxes in the hope of stealing checks and other valuable instruments which are then either cashed or deposited into the bank accounts of co-conspirators for later withdrawal.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the criminal Information to which Davis pleaded guilty alleges that Davis unlawfully used the personal identification information, including the name and bank account number of another person, in the course of committing a bank fraud, by attempting to deposit into the account of the other person a high value check that he had “fished” from a collection box.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffery St John.
Davis faces a mandatory two-year term of imprisonment, and a maximum fine of $250,000, as a result of his guilty plea to the offense.
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