Forger With Check 'Mills' in Cortlandt and Ossining Sentenced

OSSINING, NY — An Ossining man who prosecutors called "a prolific check forger" has been sentenced to state prison, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced today.
Devante Rainey of 34 Snowden Ave. was sentenced by Judge Larry Schwartz to a minimum of two and a maximum of six years in state prison.

He had pleaded guilty March 3 to:

• one count of Identity Theft in the First Degree, a class “D” Felony
• one count of Criminal Possession of Forgery Devices, a class “D” Felony.

Rainey, 25, had been the target of a two year investigation by the DA's office.

He was a prolific check forger who had a distinct modus operandi: he purchased photographs of co-conspirators’ payroll checks, then used the routing numbers and checking account numbers on those checks to create forged checks using VersaCheck small business software.

He then deposited the checks via mobile deposit into co-conspirators’ bank accounts, making the fraudulent activity one step removed from him. He used fictitious payor names and addresses on the checks to further mislead law enforcement.

In March 2016, search warrants were executed by D.A. Investigators on two premises that Rainey was using as forgery "mills”, one in Ossining and the other in Cortlandt.

Computers, printers, forged checks, and phones were recovered. At the Cortlandt “mill”, shredded checks and other discarded evidence of check making were located in a dumpster. When the defendant was arrested, he was found with two forged checks in his pocket.

Forensic analysis of the phones and computers revealed large scale fraudulent activity.

Rainey was arraigned on these charges in Ossining Village Court on July 12, 2016 and in Cortlandt Town Court on July 18, 2016. Assistance in this investigation was provided by the Village of Ossining Police
Department.

After today’s court session, he was remanded into the custody of the New York State Department of Corrections.