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18 people sentenced in bank card fraud scheme

Posted at 11:32 AM, May 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-15 11:32:48-04

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – 18 people have been sentenced as participants in a bank card fraud scheme that stole nearly $500,000 from Bank of America.

All but one of the conspirators were from West Michigan.  The U.S. Attorney says the ringleader, Tirrell Perry Thomas, of Kalamazoo, will spend eight and a half years in federal prison.  This is also Thomas’ third felony conviction after being convicted on federal drug trafficking offenses in 1999 and 2007.

Earl Cobb IV, of Chicago, received the next longest sentence in the group, with six and a half years in federal prison.  The U.S. Attorney says Cobb set up bank accounts in Illinois to receive the defrauded funds from West Michigan.

The others sentenced are:

  • Nickolas Fry, Kalamazoo – 41 months in prison, plus 13 months for a supervised release violation
  • Jerome Perry, South Haven – 15 months in prison
  • Josiah Preston, Wyoming – 14 months in prison
  • Kyle Mosley, Kalamazoo – 14 months in prison
  • James Langford, South Haven – 12 months and 1 day in prison
  • Darmesha Gun, Parchment – 11 months in prison
  • Dwayne Perry, Grand Rapids – 8 months in prison
  • Tiffany Sanders, Sturgis – 4 months in prison
  • Elnora Snipes, South Haven – 3 months in prison
  • Desiree Winfield, Kalamazoo – 2 months in prison
  • Antoine Younger, Kalamazoo – 1 month in prison
  • Brenda Davis, Kalamazoo – 1 day in prison
  • Sean Haney, Grand Rapids – 3 years probation
  • Kelsey Thompson, Grand Rapids – 2 years probation
  • Kevin Hunter II, Kalamazoo – 2 years probation
  • Crystal Pugh, Norton Shores – 2 years probation

The U.S. Attorney says that the crimes happened in November and December of 2015. Thomas was trying to get more than $780,000 from Bank of America through fraud and what he received was deposited by Cobb in Chicago.  He got about $455,000.  The other participants then accepted deposits from Cobb in their accounts and would withdraw the money at ATMs and casinos in Michigan.