Millersville Borough police, following a three-month investigation, filed charges this week regarding a financial scam that cost a local credit union more than $20,000.
In all, police charged nine (9) individuals - eight Millersville University students and one non-student - with felony counts of access device fraud and related charges.
The individuals conspired in a scam against Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union (PSECU), which has an eCenter and ATMs at Pennsylvania state schools. Essentially, the scam involved individuals depositing fraudulent checks into an account, then immediately withdrawing (the check funds) from those accounts.
Two of the defendants, Quadiar Johnson and Alimamy Sesay Jr., both 21, recruited students to sell their debit cards and PINs, so they could be used in the scam, with the assurance the cardholder would receive a share of the profits. Johnson and Sesay instructed the students to make reports with PSECU and police, which they did. All but one of the students admitted to police to making false reports. Johnson and Sesay admitted to heading up the scam, indicating the non-student, 24-year-old Aaron Caple of Philadelphia, put them onto the idea and demonstrated how to do it.
Caple is under recent federal indictment by the United States Postal Inspector in Philadelphia for multiple counts of this same fraud perpetrated there. Millersville Borough police have been working closely with those investigators.
The investigation at Millersville started with a police report from a student, Jamecia Miller, who reported her debit card lost or stolen. She provided police with a suspicious transaction history. Police, in turn, contacted PSECU who indicated they were investigating Miller's account, along with account activity of several other Milllersville University students.
Police then interviewed those students, and other students, and executed a search warrant on a cell phone.
Millersville Borough police Det. Jason Scott headed the investigation.
The following individuals are charged. All but Caple are Millersville University students. The university is reviewing their cases and standing with the school.
Aaron Caple, 24, Philadelphia (non-student): Forgery, Access Device Fraud, Criminal Conspiracy
Quadiar Johnson, 21, Yeadon: Forgery, Access Device Fraud, Criminal Conspiracy, Theft
Alimamy Sesay Jr., 21, Philadelphia: Access Device Fraud, Criminal Conspiracy
Briannia Beaufort, 20, Philadelphia: Access Device Fraud, Criminal Conspiracy, False Reports to police
Jamecia Miller, 20, Coatesville: Access Device Fraud, Criminal Conspiracy, False Reports to police
Nadajah Vickers, 19, Greencastle: Access Device Fraud, Criminal Conspiracy
Aboubacar Doukoure, 19, Philadelphia: Access Device Fraud, Criminal Conspiracy
Sharif Smith, 22, Philadelphia: Access Device Fraud, Criminal Conspiracy, False Reports to police
Dwayne Wolfe Jr., 23, York: Access Device Fraud, Criminal Conspiracy, False Reports to police