DeKalb man sentenced for depositing nearly $1.5 million in fake money orders into several banks

ATLANTA — A 36-year-old metro Atlanta man pleaded guilty to his involvement in a million-dollar money order scheme.

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According to court records, between December 2019 and September 2022, Jeremiah Carbon, 36, of Lithonia, bought almost 1,500 money orders from retail stores in Georgia. This also included him purchasing them in at least two other states using fake names and fake driver’s licenses.

Carbon made copies of the blank money orders and completed them with fake buyers’ names, and then deposited the copied money orders into one of several bank accounts in at least five different banks.

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The Northern District of Georgia District Attorney’s Office said, some of the bank accounts were in Carbon’s name, and others were in the names of his conspirators.

After depositing the copied money orders into the bank accounts, Carbon would return the originally purchased blank money orders to different retail stores and receive refunds.  Carbon bought, copied, deposited, and then returned nearly 1,500 money orders totaling almost $1.5 million.

The 36-year-old was also caught on camera at the store locations buying and returning the money orders.

In some instances, after using a fake driver’s license to purchase money orders, Carbon made more purchases from the store using his actual debit card.

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On February 22, 2022, Gwinnett County deputies conducted a traffic stop while Carbon was driving due to an unrelated traffic violation. During the stop, deputies found several blank money orders, a receipt for the recently purchased money orders, a printer/copier, and a paper cutter.  The Lithonia man also had a semi-automatic gun, which he was forbidden to have due to his status as a convicted felon.

“Carbon believed he could evade law enforcement when he resumed his criminal ways,” said Frederick D. Houston, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Atlanta Field Office.

On June 6, Carbon pleaded guilty to charges of bank fraud conspiracy, bank fraud, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to three years and five months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

“Carbon took advantage of a monetary instrument intended to serve as a secure means for transferring funds and used it for his personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.

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