The leader of a gang that stole more than $10 million in Social Security checks, tax refunds, veterans benefits and other U.S. Treasury checks will serve a year in federal prison for each million he stole.
Milton "White Boi" Minter was sentenced this week in U.S. District Court in Atlanta in a scheme prosecutors said netted more than 6,000 checks in multiple states, including Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky along with Iowa, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan and Minnesota.
"When criminals steal Treasury checks, they victimize senior citizens, the disabled, and veterans who depend on these funds for their well-being," U.S. Attorney John Horn said in a statement Thursday.
Horn said the checks were stolen from the mail before reaching their intended recipients.
Minton gave them to a crew of people who used fake driver's licenses or stolen Social Security numbers to cash the checks, mostly at Wal-Mart and Kroger stores.
Minter, 32, of Riverdale, Ga., was sentenced to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release, along with a $75,000 fine. He pleaded guilty in May to theft of government money and aggravated identify theft.
All told, Horn said 16 people were indicted in the scheme. Eight besides Minter have pleaded guilty and seven have been sent to prison.
Horn and other federal officials praised the success of the joint investigation by the U.S. Secret Service along with U.S. Postal Service inspectors and the Social Security Office of Inspector General and the Department of Justice.
"The success of this investigation is directly attributable to the other federal agencies that partnered with the Secret Service to bring this ring to justice," said Kenneth Cronin, special agent in charge of the Atlanta Field Office.
"It is immensely satisfying to see those who prey on the vulnerable among us punished."