MOBILE, Alabama – A federal judge in Mobile has sentenced two men to a combined 332 months in prison for their roles in a bank fraud and identity theft scheme that ran across the country for nearly 10 years.
Chief U.S. District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced 39-year-old Vernon A. McCreath of Jersey City, New Jersey, to 192 months. He sentenced 35-year-old Mikhail C. McCreath of Miami, Florida, to 140 months. Both men pleaded guilty. The court also ordered them to pay $687,259.04 in restitution to victims.
How the scheme worked
According to court documents, the scheme involved bank fraud, identity theft, mail theft and check counterfeiting. From September 2015 through September 2025, the men and their coconspirators stole mail, counterfeited checks and money orders, and used stolen identities to open bank accounts and run fraudulent transactions nationwide.
The group obtained stolen checks and money orders and used victims’ personal information to open fraudulent accounts. They also made forged identification documents and counterfeited hundreds of financial instruments. Conspirators then cashed those instruments at financial institutions across the country, including in the Southern District of Alabama…