HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Central Pennsylvania man will serve up to five years in state prison and pay $800,000 in restitution for his role in a scheme to defraud multiple financial institutions and their customers out of more than $2 million, Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry announced Friday.
Tyreese Lewis, 23, of Highspire, had previously pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including corrupt organizations, theft by unlawful taking and access device fraud, Henry said.
He was sentenced to a prison term of 2.5 to 5 years, according to Henry.
“This sentence serves as a reminder of the gravity of financial crime; this is not a crime from which victims can easily be made whole,” said Henry. “Lewis’s fraudulent activities not only targeted individuals and institutions, but also undermined the trust that is fundamental to our financial system. My office is committed to investigating and holding accountable those who exploit others.”
According to Henry, from January 2022 through August 2023, Lewis and several co-conspirators used victims' stolen banking information to access accounts and withdraw cash, or use stolen debit cards to buy a large number of gift cards in an effort to conceal the thefts.
Additionally, Lewis would impersonate financial institution customer service representatives in order to trick customers into disclosing their private banking information, Henry said.
They targeted financial institutions and customers in Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster and York counties, according to Henry.
Co-conspirators Carl A. Gonzalez, 20, and Jaire Cotton, 23, pleaded guilty to similar charges and were sentenced earlier this year to up to 14 months and up to four years in prison, respectively.
Lavon Whittaker, 23, and Zyaire Monserrat, 23, are scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 11, Henry added.
Lewis was also sentenced on a separate case for fraudulently receiving pandemic unemployment assistance, for which he will spend two to four years in state prison and was ordered to pay $54,000 in restitution. That sentence will run consecutive to the sentence for the bank fraud scheme.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Kayla Bolan of the Financial Crimes Section, Henry said.
