According to the state attorney general’s office, a group of 18 individuals from central Pennsylvania has been involved in a complex criminal scheme. The investigation has revealed that these individuals have stolen or assisted in redistributing over $3 million from more than 800 bank customers.
According to authorities, both the extent of the loss and the number of victims are anticipated to increase as more financial institutions provide their records.
The attorney general’s office initiated the filing of criminal charges on February 24, and the most recent cases were filed on Wednesday. Each of the 18 defendants is facing seven felony charges, which include being part of a corrupt organization, conspiracy, theft, and access fraud. It is worth noting that all but one of the defendants are from York, and all but one of them are in their 20s, as stated in the court records.
According to investigators, the suspects collaborated to steal and redistribute funds from victims’ bank accounts. The victims, who were primarily from Members First Federal Credit Union, were deceived into revealing their bank account information and passwords through fraudulent phone calls or text messages known as “vishing.” These messages claimed to be from their bank’s fraud department. In certain instances, the suspects even manipulated the phone number displayed to make it appear as if the calls or messages originated from a Members First facility, when in reality, they did not.
According to the victims, the suspects requested their personal information, including online banking logins, passwords, and two-factor identification codes. The suspects would then send these codes to the victims as they accessed their accounts.
The suspects took advantage of the information provided by the victims and swiftly locked their accounts. They then proceeded to electronically withdraw substantial sums of cash, which were subsequently transferred into one or more secondary accounts commonly referred to as funnel accounts.
According to the affidavit, the individuals who opened and managed the funnel accounts were recruited through social media. These people, who were often friends or acquaintances, acted as a middle layer between the criminals and the victims. Their main purpose was to hide the identities of the suspects. In exchange for their services, they received immediate cash payments and agreed to temporarily hold the stolen money in their bank accounts.
The thieves withdrew the stolen money from the funnel accounts by using ATM transactions at casinos, convenience stores, local businesses, and money transfer services like CashApp.
According to investigators, six suspects have been arrested for their involvement in the case. However, three of them are still in Cumberland County Prison unable to post bond. Additionally, there are six more suspects who are on the loose. These individuals were responsible for recruiting people to host funnel bank accounts and redistribute the money.
As of Thursday, six additional suspects have been identified by investigators as ringleaders “at the top of the corrupt organization,” but they have not yet been apprehended.
The investigation started two years ago when the police observed a pattern of money being stolen from Members First customers. They gathered witnesses, examined financial records and video footage, and tracked social media accounts in order to build a solid criminal case.
According to one witness, a man she was familiar with approached her and requested to use her preexisting Members First bank account for depositing his online gambling winnings. She agreed, and as a result, $10,000 was deposited into her account. Subsequently, he asked her to withdraw the majority of the funds and hand them over to him. Additionally, she informed the police that she had sent two payments to his associates via CashApp.
A man she knew approached another woman and asked her to open a bank account on his behalf, claiming that he needed access to a substantial amount of cash. Trusting him, she agreed and later withdrew $10,000 from the account. She then proceeded to transfer the majority of the money to him through three separate ATM transactions.
Throughout 2023, a recurring scene unfolded where various individuals, referred to as “funnel account holders,” were consistently compensated with sums ranging from $50 to $1,000 in exchange for granting permission to utilize their accounts.
According to the affidavit, the police obtained video surveillance footage from various businesses, including Hollywood Casinos, to identify the suspects involved in withdrawing cash from funnel accounts through ATMs.
The police intercepted messages between the suspects, who frequently communicated through social media.
During an exchange on Instagram in September 2023, one of the alleged ringleaders shared a screenshot of a funnel account they were attempting to access. The screenshot included a message from the bank that warned about fraudsters targeting their members. In response, the other ringleader expressed concern, saying, “Maybe it’s a sign. Bro, I don’t want you to get caught up.”
According to the affidavit, they decided to give the transaction another attempt the next day.
The police have stated that the suspects engaged in depositing fake checks into different funnel accounts as part of their fraudulent activity. They referred to these funnel accounts as “heads.”
The investigators revealed that in messages exchanged between March and June 2024, a suspect made a statement indicating that he possessed counterfeit checks for Chase bank accounts. The suspect confidently claimed, “I got crazy glass on any chase too.” This evidence suggests that the suspect had access to fraudulent checks linked to Chase bank accounts during that period.
In May 2024, police claim that a ringleader took to Instagram to seek assistance with fraudulent activities.
“I have some money that needs to be cleaned up. I just need a place to deposit it. First Capital Credit Union! Instant.” The police interpreted this statement as a confession of having stolen money and a request for someone with a First Capital Federal Credit Union account to help launder the funds. The suspect’s account had recent posts in September 2024, where he solicited bank accounts and guaranteed quick money transfers, as mentioned in the affidavit.
Members First has taken responsibility for reimbursing its members for any losses they may have suffered due to fraud.
The individuals facing charges are as follows:
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- Kenneth Cabrera, 22, of York. He was arrested Feb. 27, given a $200k cash bond, and remains in prison.
- Infinity Angel Morris, 24, of York. Charged Feb. 24, not in custody
- Nathaniel Michael Perez, 24, of Lancaster. Arrested March 5, given a $50k cash bond, remains in prison.
- Nathan Tavin Phillips, 25, of York. Charged Feb. 24, not in custody.
- Jy Aire Norman Beverley, 25, of York. Arrested March 5, $50k cash bond, still in prison.
- Dontae Thomas Houck, 21, of York. Charged Feb. 24, not in custody.
- Ahmaz Shajere Monroe, 23, of York. Charged Feb. 24, not in custody.
- Manuel Luis Rivera, 25, of York. Arrested March 3; released $50k unsecured bond.
- Nicole Jayrine Sanchez-Cirilo, 29, York. Arrested March 3, released $50k unsecured bond.
- Amari Anthony Greaves, 22, of York. Arrested March 5, released $50k unsecured bond.
- Woodrow Bennett Coates Jr., 22, of York. Charged March 5, not in custody.
- Andrew Tharon Gibbs, 27, of York. Charged Feb. 24, not in custody.
- Naiquon Lamir Johnson, 23, of York. Charged Feb. 24, not in custody.
- Rosemarie Rebecca Elliott, 39, of York. Charged Feb. 24, not in custody.
- Morgan Alaina Bernstein, 39, of York. Charged Feb. 24, not in custody.
- Abdias Hernandez-Clemente, 21, of York. Charged Feb. 24, not in custody.
- Luis Antonio Burgos Jr., 22, of York. Charged Feb. 24, not in custody.
- Genesis Marie Gonzalez-Soto, 30, of York. Charged Feb. 24, not in custody.
The court records identified the main culprits as Boria Fraticelli, Roldan-Lopez, Woodard Jr., Chance, Reid, and Casiano. Additionally, there were other individuals mentioned as “co-conspirators” in the court documents. These individuals played a role in recruiting account holders and facilitating the redistribution of stolen funds.
