Georgia man pleads guilty to defrauding several Utah banks

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A Georgia man is set to be sentenced later this year after pleading guilty to defrauding several Utah banks.

Toddorius Goodwin, 34, pleaded guilty conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity fraud, according to a release from the United States Attorney’s Office.

“Goodwin and his associates traveled from Georgia to engage in a check fraud scheme in Utah and elsewhere. They recruited impoverished individuals locally to assist with their scheme,” the release states.

The release states that Goodwin and his team did this at many institutions in Utah.

“Goodwin and his associates stole payroll checks from private mailboxes, altered the ‘payable to’ names on the checks to the recruited individual’s name, and sent that individual into various banks to cash the forged checks in exchange for a cut of the profit,” the release says.

“Goodwin and his associates successfully cashed at least $214,179.51 worth of counterfeit checks in Utah within just a few months, from April to October 2022,” the release states.

Goodwin is set to be sentenced in November of this year.

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