A Missouri man was sentenced this week in federal court to seven years in prison without parole for a bank fraud scheme that cashed nearly $160,000 from financial institutions in Webster County and elsewhere.
Michael Anthony Spears, 37, of Columbia, also is required to pay restitution of $114,127, which represents the proceeds he and co-conspirators stole from 14 separate banks, according to a news release from the office of Tammy Dickinson, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
Spears pleaded guilty in February to passing counterfeit and forged checks with fake ID documents at banks between July 31, 2013, and Feb. 28, 2014. To accomplish the scheme, at least 12 co-conspirators stole mail, printed counterfeit checks, passed the checks with fake ID and opened at least five fictitious businesses to conceal deposits and withdrawals.
Co-defendant Phillip Daren Shockey, 49, of Crawford, Ark., pleaded guilty in January to leading the conspiracy. Shockey admitted he used motel rooms to set up a workstation of computers, printers, scanners, a camera, a blue hanging sheet for ID photos and other items to produce false ID cards and counterfeit checks. Spears met Shockey when they were both serving time in jail, according to the release.
A major point person on the scheme, Spears established fake Missouri companies in his name. He also stole mail to grab personal identifying information, opened bank accounts using fake ID documents and used fake ID documents of bank customers to pass fraudulent checks.
Spears attempted to pass 24 checks that he received from Shockey, resulting in a loss to banks of at least $159,842, according to the release.
Other co-conspirators sold cattle and used the financial information from the cattle sale checks to make additional counterfeit checks, according to Dickinson’s office.
