(WNY News Now) – A Georgia man has pleaded guilty to orchestrating a multi-state bank fraud scheme, involving stolen checks and fraudulent transactions that cost businesses tens of thousands of dollars.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced that Quentavious Price, 38, of Hampton, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. The charges carry a mandatory minimum of two years in prison, with a maximum of 30 years and a fine of up to $1,000,000.
Between January and September 2022, Price and his co-conspirators—Lorenzo Jones, Ameer Clark, and Montez White—traveled from Atlanta to western New York to defraud financial institutions. The group stole legitimate checks from businesses and created fraudulent copies drawn on the accounts of the victims. They then recruited individuals to impersonate construction workers or laborers, driving them to banks to cash the counterfeit checks.
Prosecutors detailed three specific incidents:
- January 2022: Price and his accomplices flew from Atlanta to Buffalo, where they attempted to cash fraudulent checks at multiple KeyBank branches using stolen accounts from businesses in Elma and Tonawanda, NY.
- March 2022: The group targeted M&T Bank, Bank on Buffalo, and Evans Bank branches, using accounts from businesses based in Tonawanda, Clarence, and Sanborn, NY.
- September 2022: The scheme expanded to Rochester, where Price and three others drove six individuals to banks including Northwest Bank and KeyBank, exploiting accounts from businesses in Rochester and Alden, NY.
Price also used the identity of one business owner in a felony violation. The total loss, both actual and intended, was calculated at $64,979.67.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the New York State Police. Co-conspirators Jones, Clark, and White still face pending charges.
Price’s sentencing date is yet to be determined.
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