6 additional defendants indicted in national bank fraud conspiracy

ALBANY, N.Y. ( NEWS10 )– Six additional people were indicted in connection to a nationwide conspiracy targeting credit unions that began in 2021. The defendants join eight others who were previously indicted in March.

According to the Department of Justice, the defendants conspired to steal the identities of people, all over the country, and impersonated them to obtain cash, checks, loans and credit from banks and credit unions. The 14 defendants allegedly opened bank accounts, leading to allegedly nearly $3 million in intended losses and more than $1.5 million in actual losses.

In March, Oluwaseun Adekoya, age 39, of New Jersey, and David Daniyan, age 60, of Brooklyn, New York, were previously charged in an indictment returned last December, along with codefendants Victor Barriera, age 64, of the Bronx, New York; Gaysha Kennedy, age 46, of Brooklyn; Jerjuan Joyner, age 50, of Brooklyn; Akeem Balogun, age 56, of Brooklyn; Danielle Cappetti, age 46, of the Bronx; and Lesley Lucchese, age 53, of Brooklyn, with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

The superseding indictment stems from an ongoing investigation that began in 2022 after the arrest of Daniyan, Kennedy and Barriera by the Cohoes Police Department. The defendants reportedly obtained over $900,000 to purchase Rolex watches, Mercedes-Benz vehicles, and high-end clothing and apparel.

The defendants charged in the superseding indictment are:

• Adekoya is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of money laundering conspiracy, and nine counts of aggravated identity theft;
• Daniyan is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of money laundering conspiracy, and four counts aggravated identity theft;
• Kani Bassie, age 36, of Brooklyn, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft;
• Davon Hunter, age 27, of Richmond, Virginia, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft;
• Jermon Brooks, age 20, of Richmond, Virginia, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft;
• Christian Quivers, age 20, of Richmond, Virginia, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft;
• Sherry Ozmore, age 56, of Richmond, Virginia, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft
• Crystal Kurschner, age 44, of Brooklyn, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft

Previous defendants Balogun, Barriera, Cappetti, Joyner, and Lucchese each previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and will be sentenced by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino.

The bank fraud conspiracy charges have a maximum term of 30 years in prison, the money laundering conspiracy charges have a maximum term of 20 years in prison, and each aggravated identity theft charge has a mandatory term of 2 years in prison, to be imposed consecutive to any other term of imprisonment.

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