Attorney General Michelle Henry announced the sentencing of Tyreese Lewis, the head of an organized conspiracy to defraud central Pennsylvania residents and financial institutions of approximately $2 million.
Lewis, 23, pleaded guilty to multiple charges including corrupt organizations, theft by unlawful taking, and access device fraud. Lewis was sentenced to two and a half to five years in state prison and ordered to pay $800,000 in restitution for his part of this scheme.
“This sentence serves as a reminder of the gravity of financial crime; this is not a crime from which victims can easily be made whole,” said Attorney General Henry. “Lewis’s fraudulent activities not only targeted individuals and institutions, but also undermined the trust that is fundamental to our financial system. My office is committed to investigating and holding accountable those who exploit others.”
From January 2022 through August 2023, Lewis and several co-conspirators used victims’ stolen banking information to access accounts and withdraw cash, or use stolen debit cards to buy a large number of gift cards in an effort to conceal the thefts. Additionally, Lewis would impersonate financial institution customer service representatives in order to trick customers into disclosing their private banking information.
Co-conspirators, Carl A. Gonzalez, 20, and Jaire Cotton, 23, pleaded guilty to similar charges and were sentenced earlier this year to up to fourteen months and up to four years in prison, respectively. Lavon Whittaker, 23, and Zyaire Monserrat, 23, are scheduled for sentencing on September 11, 2024.
Lewis was also sentenced on a separate case for fraudulently receiving pandemic unemployment assistance, for which he will spend two to four years in state prison and was ordered to pay $54,000 in restitution. That sentence will run consecutive to the sentence for the bank fraud scheme.
This case was prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Kayla Bolan of the Financial Crimes Section.
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