Denver Counterfeit Check & ID Theft Ringleader Sentenced

DENVER, CO -- A ring-leader of an 11-member crew who stole "schwack," (street slang for U.S. mail) from more than 400 Denver area residents and businesses to create fake financial documents was sentenced to 14 years in prison yesterday. Sean Jones, 36, pleaded guilty Jan. 19 to conspiracy under the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act--COCCA. More than $100,000 was stolen by the ring, who allegedly forged checks and stole financial identities.

The prison sentence is to run consecutively with another conviction sentence in Arapahoe County, where Jones was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Arapahoe County last April for a similar scheme. Judges ordered Jones pay $78,792 in restitution.

A May, 2017 186-count grand jury indictment named Jones and co-ringleader Kathleen Cooke, 48, as masterminds behind a criminal racketeering enterprise that allegedly stole "schwack" (or mail) in order to get their hands on personal and business checks. The group then stole financial identities and created counterfeit checks using computers at the Denver home of Cooke, the indictment alleges.

The group allegedly cashed, or attempted to cash, checks made out for between $1,000-$4,000 at banks and credit unions all over metro Denver starting in April, 2016. The group used the cash to buy drugs, specifically methamphetamine and heroin, and sell and trade drugs among themselves, the jury's indictment said.

Jones, Cooke and the other members of the accused crew were charged with conspiracy to commit identify theft, identity theft, forgery, theft, criminal attempt to commit theft, criminal possession of a financial device and criminal impersonation.

A break in the case came in July, 2016 when Jones was observed driving his Silver 1999 Jeep Cherokee into the parking garage of the Lady Luck Casino in Black Hawk. Police had been on the alert for a car of a similar description, the arrest affidavit said. Jones fled the casino, abandoning his car, which was later found to contain stolen mail traced back to owners whose banks had fake withdrawals from their accounts.

Alleged co-ringleader Kathleen Cooke is scheduled to be arraigned on March 23. She, like Jones, was charged with one count of conspiracy violating COCCA, as well as other charges.

Co-defendant Alan Mill, 34, pleaded guilty to identity theft last November and was sentenced Feb. 22 to 10 years in prison, the DA's office said.

The remaining co-defendants have variously pleaded guilty to felony identity theft or forgery and added counts of misdemeanor theft, and sentenced to county jail sentences, community corrections, suspended prison sentences upon condition of successful completion of probation, or deferred judgments concurrent with probation, and/or ordered to pay varying amounts of restitution.

The months-long investigation involved the collaboration of several law enforcement agencies including the Denver District Attorney’s Economic Crime Unit, Denver Police Department, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Black Hawk Police Department, FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force, Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, a statement rom the Denver DA's office said.

Image Sean Jones, via the Denver District Attorney's Office