Man Creates Counterfeit Stimulus Checks, Steals $700,000; Gets 70 Months In Prison

A 39-year-old man from Fairfax County, Virginia, was sentenced to nearly six years in prison this week over an "extensive fraud scheme" that involved the creation of counterfeit COVID-19 stimulus checks and the theft of the personal information of over 150 people, prosecutors said.

Jonathan Drew, of Reston, was sentenced Wednesday by District Judge Anthony J. Trenga to 70 months in prison for bank fraud and aggravated theft, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia (USAO-EDVA) said in a statement released on the day of the sentencing. He pleaded guilty to the charges on April 14.

Drew had stolen mail addressed to more than 150 individuals in Fairfax and Loudoun counties between December 2019 and August 2020 that contained $700,000 in checks, including a COVID-19 Economic Impact Payment — also known as a stimulus check — and checks he used to create counterfeit checks, prosecutors said, citing court documents.

Drew also illegally obtained bank statements, credit cards, credit card statements and W-2 tax forms from the mail.

The stolen stimulus checks were used to create counterfeit versions ranging from $1,200 to $2,400. Drew negotiated his own authentically issued stimulus checks twice, court documents said.

"Drew also used the personally identifiable information of several individuals without authorization to lease an apartment; open bank accounts; and attempt to conduct fraudulent transactions through counterfeit checks, forged checks, unauthorized use of credit cards and wire transfers," the statement read.

"In addition to causing financial harm to the individuals from whom he stole checks and credit cards, the defendant’s sweeping criminal conduct also inflicted emotional harm and distress to his identity theft victims," Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Raj Parekh was quoted as saying.

A similar incident happened in Guam when a man was sentenced to three years in jail after he pleaded guilty to attempting to cash in forged stimulus checks in May last year.

Jerome Robert Santos pleaded guilty before Judge Maria Cenzon of the Superior Court of Guam to felony third-degree forgery on July 27.

He was arrested in May 2020 after he tried to cash in a forged stimulus check at Valencia Foreign Exchange.