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A Honduran man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison after he and co-conspirators used phony IDs to cash hundreds of fraudulent checks in northern Indiana and Oklahoma .
U.S. District Court Judge Philip Simon sentenced Ricardo Castro Murillo, 34, of Honduras, to 37 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud in two cases.
Acting U. S. Attorney M. Scott Proctor announced the sentence.
Castro Murillo was also ordered to pay $533,043 in restitution.
He has no legal status within the United States and will be subject to a separate and immediate removal process upon release from prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to court documents, Castro Murillo and his co-conspirators used fake identification cards to cash 169 fraudulent paychecks totaling $233,569 at three branches of the same northern Indiana bank on Jan. 11, 2023.
The fraudulent paychecks were designed to look like they had been issued by a company that operates dairy farms in the area.
Almost six months later, Castro Murillo and his co-conspirators used fake identification cards to cash 178 fraudulent paychecks totaling $299,474 at five branches of the same bank and three check cashing businesses in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The fraudulent paychecks were designed to look like they had been issued by a local building materials supply company.
“Castro Murillo participated in a far-reaching conspiracy that caused major financial harm to community banks and small businesses across the United States. Due to the unwavering efforts and collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement, Castro Murillo was brought to justice for his role in this scheme,” said Proctor in a news release. “The sentence imposed by the court sends a message that there are real consequences for engaging in fraud, particularly in northwest Indiana.”
Co-conspirator Luis Banegas Rodriguez was previously sentenced to 27 months in prison for his role in the scheme.
These cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Secret Service, and the Indiana State Police, with assistance provided by the Benton County Sheriff’s Department, the Benton County Prosecutor’s Office, the Poteau (Oklahoma) Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Travis County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office, and the Houston (Texas) Police Department.
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