NEW BERN – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that today in federal court, LAMONT DEVORE HAIRSTON, 30, of Winston Salem, North Carolina, was sentenced to serve 41 months in federal prison and 5 years of supervised release following his prior guilty plea to Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud. HAIRSTON was also ordered to make restitution to victims.
The Indictment and information provided at the sentencing hearing provided that HAIRSTON was a ringleader in a fraudulent check cashing scheme. According to the charges, HAIRSTON and others acquired stolen mail containing bank account information. HAIRSTON and others used this information to manufacture counterfeit checks using check-writing software and check stock. HAIRSTON then caused various individuals to cash the checks at local merchants, and to return the proceeds to HAIRSTON, who paid the participants a cut of the money for their participation. HAIRSTON was arrested by the Greenville Police Department in February of 2014 in possession of a computer and check stock used in the scheme.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the United States Secret Service, with the assistance of the Greenville Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney William M. Gilmore represented the government.
--DOJ Eastern District of North Carolina