On September 17, 2020, in the District of New Jersey, Tashon Ragan was arrested for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and passing fictitious obligations. Ragan was initially charged with the offenses on September 16, 2020.

According to the court documents, between approximately February 2019 to about May 2020, Ragan and his coconspirators solicited U.S. Postal Service employees to steal mail containing checks, debit cards, and credit cards in exchange for cash. Ragan and his coconspirators forged signatures of payees on stolen checks, deposited them into various bank accounts and automated teller machines throughout New Jersey, and would attempt to withdraw the funds before the fraud could be detected. In addition to the stolen checks, Regan and his coconspirators also deposited, and attempted to deposit, thousands of dollars of counterfeit Economic Impact Payment (EIP) checks.

If convicted, Ragan faces a maximum of 20 years' imprisonment for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, up to two years' imprisonment for aggravated identity theft, and a minimum of one year for passing fictitious obligations.

Source:  The facts in this case narrative come from the following publicly available documents: D. N.J., Magistrate's Courtroom Minutes, filed September 17, 2020; and D. N.J., Crim. Compl., filed September 16, 2020.