Date: 09-12-2024

Case Style:

United States of America v. Mekhi Diwone Harris

Case Number: 2:23-cr-00325

Judge: Madeline Haikala

Court: The United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama (Jefferson County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: The United States Attorney’s Office in Birmingham

Defendant's Attorney:

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Description:

Birmingham, Alabama criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with Multi-Million Dollar Fraud
Administrator of Scam Telegram Channel Sentenced for Multi-Million Dollar Fraud

A Birmingham-area man was charged for his role running a Telegram channel that sold millions of dollars in stolen and fraudulent checks.

“Check fraud is a growing national problem,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “That is in no small part due to Telegram channels like the one run by the defendant, which operated as a one-stop shop for other scammers to purchase stolen financial instruments. Thanks to the tremendous partnership from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama and our law enforcement partners who worked on this case, we were able to bring the administrator of the ‘Work Related’ channel to justice.”

“Fraud poses a fundamental threat to our national security as well as to our everyday way of life,” said Special Agent in Charge Peeples. “The FBI is committed to coordinating with our partners and aggressively pursuing those who seek to victimize others for their personal gain. I hope this sentencing serves as a warning to others who might engage in these types of schemes.”

According to the plea agreement, from April 2022 to August 2023, Harris acted as an administrator of the “Work Related” Telegram channel using the Telegram handle “@O1ihk.” During this period, more than one thousand stolen or fraudulent checks were sold on the channel. The victims included individuals, businesses, churches, schools, and non-profit organizations. The total value of the checks posted to the channel was more than $10 million.

The FBI investigated the case with significant assistance from the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Secret Service Cyber Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Canter prosecuted the case.

Outcome:

Defendant was found guilty and sentenced to

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

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