Five people charged with bank fraud conspiracy and aggravated ID theft

ALBANY, NY (WRGB) — Five people from around the Capital Region have been indicted and arrested in connection with a bank fraud conspiracy targeting SEFCU, now Broadview Federal Credit Union.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement Tuesday.

According to the indictment, court filings, and statements made by prosecutors in court, between February and October 2022, the conspirators obtained customer account information from Caeshara Cannon, 33, of Albany, formerly a Member Services Representative at SEFCU. They used that information to create counterfeit checks, which were presented for negotiation at SEFCU branches. The indictment says the conspirators also obtained personal identifying information of other people, which they used to fraudulently obtain loans from SEFCU and then withdraw the proceeds in cash. The conspirators used fake New York State driver’s licenses, with pictures of the conspirators but bearing the personal identifying information of others, during the loan application process.

The following individuals were charged in the indictment handed up September 21, 2023:

• Allahson Allah, formerly known as Gwyn Cancer, age 53, of Albany, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
• Evan Cutler, age 24, of Queensbury, New York, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and four counts of aggravated identity theft.
• Dnauticah Taylor-Sterman, age 21, of Albany, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
• Davon Parson, age 20, of Troy, New York, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

Cannon was previously arrested, and pled guilty on September 14, 2023 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

A conviction for conspiracy to commit bank fraud carries a term of up to 30 years in prison, and a conviction for aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory term of imprisonment of 2 years, which must be imposed consecutive to any term of incarceration imposed for the bank fraud offense. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.