Macomb County man among 8 indicted in bank fraud scheme

Randazzo accused of stealing more than $23,000

A Macomb County resident was among eight people named Tuesday in a federal grand jury criminal indictment accused in a bank fraud conspiracy scheme.

John Randazzo of Warren and other defendants are accused of siphoning tens of thousands of dollars from area financial institutions stemming from checks stolen from the mail, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit.

Federal prosecutors said the defendants came up with and participated in a scheme to obtain checks sent through the U.S. Postal Service intended for legitimate businesses.

“The conspirators would then incorporate fictitious businesses with similarsounding names to the legitimate businesses and then open bank accounts in the names of those fictitious businesses,” prosecutors said in a statement.

The defendants would then deposit the checks into the fraudulent bank accounts. The conspirators then depleted the money from these accounts via cash withdrawals, debit card purchases, and cashier’s checks.

The suspects have been charged with bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

Randazzo is accused of stealing $23,200 in the scheme in a pair of withdrawals from banks in January, court records show.

The other defendants are Kevin Jones, 57, of Detroit, Flent Curney, 62, of Detroit, Feraud Curney, 38, of Detroit, Filan Curney, 39, of Detroit, Ferris Curney, 34, of Detroit, Melody Leggett,37, of Detroit, and Katana Jackson, 45, of Detroit.

They face up to 30 years in prison upon conviction. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Denise Page Hood.