Alexander Varice, 27, of South Orange, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to defraud two banks out of more than $250,000 using stolen credit cards and blank checks, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Honig, Varice’s conspirators, Allen Varice, 25, of East Orange; Dashawn Duncan, 27, of South Orange; Nasheed Jackson, 24, of Newark; Qshaun Brown-Guinyard, 27, Newark; and Tamir Duval, 22, of Newark; previously pleaded guilty to informations charging each with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig said that Duncan, Jackson, Brown-Guinyard, Allen Varice have been sentenced by Judge Wigenton. Duval is scheduled to be sentenced in December of this year.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From in and about August 2018 through in or about January 2020, Varice and his coconspirators engaged in a scheme to use stolen credit cards and/or checks to fraudulently make purchases and withdraw money from two banks, leaving the banks to bear the losses of the scheme.
The credit cards and blank checks were stolen from various New Jersey-based United States Postal Service facilities, and never reached their intended recipients.
After obtaining the stolen credit cards, Varice and his coconspirators used them to make unauthorized purchases at various retail stores and/or to withdraw cash from automated teller machines (“ATMs”) in New Jersey and elsewhere.
With respect to the stolen blank checks, Varice and the coconspirators altered the date, payee, and amount of the stolen checks prior to deposit.
Varice and his coconspirators then fraudulently withdrew money at various ATMs from third-party account holders’ accounts.
In addition to the prison term, Varice was sentenced to three years of supervised release.