Goodyear Man Sentenced to Nearly 10 Years in Prison for $8.5 Million Check Theft Scheme
By: Staff Reporter | iSkyNews.com (ISC News)
Published August 18th, 2025
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PHOENIX, AZ — A Goodyear man has been sentenced to nearly a decade in federal prison for his role in an elaborate check theft and fraud scheme that defrauded businesses out of millions of dollars.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, Cory Jermaine White, Jr., 31, of Goodyear, was sentenced on July 16, 2025, by United States District Judge Michael T. Liburdi to 108 months in prison and ordered to pay $8,446,858.31 in restitution. White had pleaded guilty on December 10, 2024, to conspiracies to commit bank and wire fraud, and money laundering.
Federal prosecutors said White and his co-conspirators stole business checks from the U.S. Mail and used sham companies to deposit and launder the stolen money. Six other co-defendants have also pleaded guilty and received varying prison terms.
“White stole nearly $8.5 million in checks meant for legitimate businesses and used the money for lavish expenditures,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “His actions not only impacted the victims but also undermined the integrity of our financial systems. Let this case serve as a reminder that crime does not pay, and that we will do whatever we can to uphold the law and safeguard our communities.”
FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke also condemned the scheme:
“The fact this defendant and his co-conspirators would think that stealing business checks from the U.S. Mail and scheming ways to deposit them for their own use is mind-boggling. Financial crimes have long been a staple of the FBI’s investigative efforts, and we will continue to meticulously investigate any and all fraudsters in pursuit of our mission of protecting the American people.”
How the Scheme Worked
Court documents reveal the multi-step operation:
- A co-conspirator would steal mail containing legitimate business checks.
- Another conspirator would incorporate a sham entity using the same name as the legitimate business, often in a different state.
- Using those sham corporate documents, conspirators opened fraudulent bank accounts in the fake company’s name.
- Once deposited, the stolen checks were quickly liquidated, and funds were distributed among the group.
The case was investigated by the FBI Phoenix Division, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin M. Rapp prosecuting.
Case Number: CR 23-01749-PHX-MTL
Release Number: 2025-120_White
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