SHREVEPORT, LA. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Louisiana, Western), published as received.
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Anthony E. Johnson, 27, of Shreveport, Louisiana, has been sentenced for his involvement in a counterfeit check cashing scheme. Johnson was sentenced by United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. to 30 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $110,773 in restitution.
According to information introduced in court, Anthony Johnson conspired with Carlos A. Spann and Phelix Williams, both of Shreveport, in a scheme to cash counterfeit checks using fraudulent identities at banks and retail establishments throughout Louisiana in 2017 and 2018. Spann provided Johnson and Williams with altered overlays for identification cards along with counterfeit checks drawn on Tower Loan’s bank account, as well as counterfeit checks drawn on a U.S. Postal Service bank account. All of these fraudulent transactions were captured by surveillance video cameras.
Johnson pleaded guilty on January 17, 2019 in U.S. District Court. The court ordered that Johnson comply with the requirements of the U.S. Probation Office in connection with his pretrial supervised release and was allowed to remain on bond until his sentencing hearing which was scheduled for May 1, 2019. Johnson failed to comply with the conditions of pretrial supervision and a warrant was issued for his arrest in March 2019. Officers with the Shreveport Police Department arrested Johnson in September 2022 on an unrelated charge and learned of the warrant for Johnson. He was returned to the custody of the U.S. Marshal to face the charges in this case.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, Shreveport Police Department, and Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian C. Flanagan and Alexander C. Van Hook, Special Counsel to the U.S. Attorney.
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