4 Indicted In Connection With $12.2M U.S. Treasury Check Fraud Scheme

The group of four from four different Boston area communities is accused of stealing millions by redirecting checks to themselves.

By Benjamin Pierce, Patch Staff

Sep 25, 2026 10:22 AM EDT

BOSTON, MA — Four men have been indicted in connection with a fraud scheme involving the reported theft and deposit of more than $12.2 million in U.S. Treasury checks, according to the United States Attorney's Office District of Massachusetts.

David Obeng, 24, of Dedham, Lynley Joseph, 26, of Brockton, Lindsley Georges, 33, of Everett and Shaunsayh Addo, 33, of Leominster have each been charged with one count of bank fraud conspiracy and one count of money laundering conspiracy. All four men were arrested Thursday morning and appeared in federal court in Boston. Joseph and Addo were released on conditions while Obeng and Georges remain detained pending hearings to be scheduled at later dates.

According to federal prosecutors, the four men coordinated the theft and deposit of U.S. Treasury checks totaling at least $12.2 million between 2023 and 2026. Each check had reportedly been issued to a legitimate recipient before being altered to instead be payable to shell companies controlled by the defendants. The men directed the fraudulent checks to be deposited at banks and credit unions in and around the Boston area in exchange for a portion of the proceeds.

Following the deposits, the defendants reportedly conducted additional financial transactions to conceal the origin of the stolen money. The transactions included the purchase and deposit of cashier's checks, the purchase of approximately $310,000 in luxury watches and a $425,000 real estate loan secured by property in Nantucket.

Georges was previously convicted of money laundering in federal court in Massachusetts in January 2022. According to prosecutors, he was serving a term of federal supervised release at the time of his involvement in the new scheme. Nine other people were previously charged in 2025 and 2026 with theft of government funds or bank fraud in connection with the deposit of the same stolen Treasury checks.

Obeng was also indicted on one count of wire fraud conspiracy, five counts of bank fraud, two counts of money laundering and one count of aggravated identity theft in connection with a separate scheme. Obeng and others reportedly obtained unauthorized access to victims' bank and retirement accounts through text messages made to appear as though they were sent by the victims' banks and phone calls in which conspirators posed as bank representatives.

The conspirators reportedly posed as fraud investigators during the calls and persuaded victims to provide codes needed to authorize withdrawals from their accounts under the guise of verifying their identities. Obeng and others used the access to transfer money from victims' accounts into accounts they controlled. According to prosecutors, individuals were also recruited to enter bank branches while posing as customers, open accounts, deposit or transfer fraud proceeds, and then withdraw the money in cash. The additional frauds resulted in more than $1 million in losses to federally insured banks and credit unions and their customers.

The charges of bank fraud and bank fraud conspiracy provide for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. The money laundering charges provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, while the aggravated identity theft charge provides for a consecutive sentence of no less than two years in prison. Any sentences would ultimately be imposed by a federal district court judge based upon federal sentencing guidelines and applicable statutes.