PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A Providence man has pleaded guilty to his role in a scheme to defraud banks of more than $100,000 by depositing phony checks and then quickly withdrawing the funds before the banks discovered the checks were fraudulent, federal prosecutors say.
Edmilson Rodrigues, 21, of Providence, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to bank fraud charges.
He participated in a scheme to duplicate real checks provided to members of the conspiracy by insiders at law firms, social services agencies, and colleges.
Rodrigues and others deposited the checks into real accounts at banks in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, often using stolen personal information, prosecutors said.
On at least 18 occasions between May 2013 and February 2019, members of the conspiracy deposited bogus checks and withdrew funds, defrauding banks of well over $100,000, authorities said.
Rodrigues is scheduled to be sentenced on May 8.
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