A Portland woman was sentenced to federal prison earlier this month for her role in a fraud scheme whereby she and a co-conspirator stole mail from residential mailboxes and used stolen personal identification information to defraud local banks.
Latanya Jenkins, 51, was sentenced to 39 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.
According to court documents, beginning on an unknown date and continuing until at least July 7, 2020, Jenkins and an accomplice, Demontae Sanders, 48, also of Portland, conspired with one another to steal mail from residential mailboxes throughout the Portland Metropolitan Area. Jenkins and Sanders stole checks, credit cards, and other personal identity information that they used to impersonate victims and open accounts at several local credit unions and banks. The pair used the accounts to defraud these financial institutions.
To further their scheme, Jenkins and Sanders communicated with one another by text and used the internet at Jenkins’ residence to open several bank accounts using stolen information. Together, they collected hundreds of stolen financial documents including bank statements, checks, tax returns, U.S. Passports, and other government-issued identification documents. They also stole and cashed an Economic Impact Payment check issued by the U.S. Treasury.
On September 24, 2020, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an 18-count indictment charging Jenkins and Sanders with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and mail theft. On August 23, 2021, Jenkins pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit bank fraud, mail theft, and aggravated identity theft.
Sanders pleaded guilty to the same charges on May 4, 2021. On November 1, 2021, he was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated jointly by Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth D. Uram prosecuted the case.
