On January 22, 2020, in the Western District of Missouri, Dante Chestnut was sentenced in a scheme involving stolen U.S. Treasury tax refund checks. In July 2019, Chestnut pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

According to the court documents, Chestnut and seven other individuals, Branden Belvin, Mistie Smith, Frances Wright, Susannah Lesaisaea, Cassandra Franklin, Sharieff Sylvester, and Joseph Hooks, were indicted on May 2, 2018, in a scheme involving the theft of U.S. Treasury tax refund checks. Dante Chestnut was charged with conspiracy, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, possession of stolen mail, and money laundering.

According to the plea agreement, Chestnut's coconspirators Belvin and Smith unlawfully obtained U.S. Treasury tax refund checks that belonged to other persons and that had been stolen from the U.S. mail. Belvin, Smith, and their coconspirators, including Chestnut, also obtained fraudulent drivers licenses and identification cards to use with the stolen U.S. Treasury checks. Using fraudulent identification documents, the coconspirators presented the stolen U.S. Treasury checks to open bank accounts and withdraw funds at various branches of Academy Bank, a financial institution, in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri.

Chestnut used a fraudulent identification to negotiate a stolen U.S. Treasury check to deposit into a newly created bank account. Chestnut's actions were captured on an Academy Bank video surveillance camera, and his fingerprints were identified on a check that was recovered from Academy Bank.

Chestnut cashed twenty-three U.S. Treasury tax refund checks, totaling $115,760, in this manner. Twenty-one of these transactions were captured on bank security video, including a transaction on May 6, 2016, at an Academy Bank located in Kansas City, Missouri. In addition, Chestnut's fingerprints were discovered on checks passed by coconspirators Lesaisaea, Franklin, and Hooks.

According to the indictment, the scheme resulted in the fraudulent negotiation of approximately 99 checks, representing a total financial loss of approximately $447,517.

Chestnut was sentenced to 62 months' imprisonment, followed by three years' supervised release. Chestnut was also ordered to pay $441,056.27 in restitution and a special assessment fee of $300.

Source:  The facts in this case narrative come from the following publicly available documents: W.D. Mo. Indict. filed May 2, 2018; W.D. Mo. Plea Agr. filed July 25, 2019; W.D. Mo. Judgment filed Jan. 22, 2020.