Man from Montgomery sentenced to 10 years for mail, bank fraud ring

A man from Montgomery was sentenced to a decade in federal prison for his role in perpetrating a ring conspiring to commit mail and bank fraud, said an announcement from U.S. Attorney Kevin Davidson. 

Kahneil Jahe Oliver, 28, of Montgomery, was sentenced on Feb. 18 sometime after a plea deal was made saying that he and his co-conspirators stole checks to alter them before depositing them into accounts that they controlled. 

Davidson's announcement stated that Oliver coordinated the scheme with two others from Montgomery and one from Prattville. 

During the investigation it was found that he possessed a firearm "in furtherance" of the crime, which added to his sentence along with the number of victims and the "sophisticated nature" of the conspiracy. 

He reportedly admitted to using a stolen postal key to access postal receptacles and retrieve checks from the mail as well.

Victims lost more than $9.5 million to the scheme, said the announcement. 

“This defendant helped orchestrate a large-scale scheme that targeted numerous individuals and businesses by exploiting the U.S. mail system,” said Acting United States Attorney Davidson. “Mail theft and financial fraud cause significant economic harm to victims. This sentence reflects the seriousness of these crimes and our commitment to holding organizers of fraud schemes fully accountable.”

The co-conspirators, Cedric Lanoid Hunter, Jr., 24, of Montgomery, Alabama; Joseph Deshun Sheppard, Jr., 27, of Montgomery; and Tra’von Charles Rogers, 24, of Prattville, Alabama, have all pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in March.