Using Forged Passports Purportedly Issued by Togo, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and the Ivory Coast, Nfamoussa Sylla Allegedly Committed $333k Check Fraud Scheme

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the indictment of NFAMOUSSA SYLLA, 26, for allegedly committing a check fraud scheme involving $333,856 in fraudulent deposits, of which he successfully withdrew $116,500, using aliases and forged passports purportedly issued by Togo, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and the Ivory Coast. SYLLA is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with Grand Larceny in the Second and Third Degrees, Money Laundering in the Second Degree, Attempted Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, and Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree.[1]

“As alleged, using aliases and forged passports supposedly issued by four different countries, Nfamoussa Sylla orchestrated a check fraud scheme that netted him more than $100,000,” said District Attorney Bragg. “This investigation is ongoing. This office’s strong tradition of economic crime investigations and prosecutions spans from identity theft to public corruption to counterterrorism and beyond. We will hold accountable those who commit fraud for personal gain.” 

According to court documents and statements made on the record in court, from August 2022 to June 2023, SYLLA opened four bank accounts for various entities using different aliases and forged passports purportedly issued by Togo, Guinea, Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast. Each passport bore the same photo of SYLLA, wearing the same shirt, with differing names and dates of birth.

In December 2023 and January 2024, SYLLA deposited multiple forged checks, drawn from the accounts of three legitimate businesses and one individual, into two of these fraudulent bank accounts. The memo sections on all four checks, which totaled $333,856.63, were left blank, and a check purportedly issued by a California-based individual misspelled that person’s name. Over the course of approximately nine days, SYLLA withdrew a total of $116,500 in amounts ranging from $800 to $35,000 before the bank flagged the deposits and debited the funds back out of the accounts.

In February 2025, investigators from the Manhattan D.A.’s Office executed a court-authorized search warrant of SYLLA’s apartment, eventually recovering an additional fraudulent passport and 14 cell phones, among other items. This investigation is ongoing.

Assistant D.A.s John Cheever and Alexander Wells of the Major Economic Crimes Bureau (“MECB”) are handling the prosecution of the case under the supervision of Assistant D.A.s Christine Payne (Deputy MECB Chief) and Michael Ohm (MECB Chief), as well as Executive Assistant D.A. Jodie Kane (Chief of the Investigation Division).

Rackets Investigators Steven Mariscal, Keven Polanco, and Emmanuel Adelaja, and Supervising Rackets Investigator Daniel Clark-El; MECB Investigative Analyst Nishant Bhaumik, Paralegal Nathan Ward; and Computer Forensics Analyst Laura Estevez all provided valuable assistance in the investigation.

Associate Financial Investigator Diana Cincotta also provided assistance in the investigation under the supervision of Irene Serrapica, Principal Deputy Bureau Chief of the Forensic Accounting and Financial Investigations Unit, and Robert Demarest, Chief of the Forensic Accounting and Financial Investigations Unit.

Defendant Information:

NFAMOUSSA SYLLA

New York, NY

Charges:

• Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class C felony, one count
• Money Laundering in the Second Degree, a class C felony, one count
• Attempted Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class D felony, two counts
• Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class D felony, one count
• Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a class D felony, eight counts
• Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, a class E felony, one count

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[1]   The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.