162 Count Indictment Alleges a Conspiracy to Deposit Checks Stolen from the Mail and Rob Unsuspecting Victims of their Cellphones 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the indictment of BALLA NIAMBELE, 28, JESSICA GONE, 28, KALIL TOURE, 24, CHRISTIAN FEATHERSTONE, 33, and JEVON PRINCE, 31, for two alleged, overlapping financial fraud conspiracies: forging and depositing checks stolen from the mail and robbing victims of their cellphones to gain access to their financial accounts. 

The defendants allegedly deposited nearly $1 million in stolen funds into their own financial accounts. 

All the defendants are charged with Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree and Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Third Degree. Other charges include Money Laundering in the Second Degree; Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Second Degree; Attempted Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Third Degree; Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree; Identity Theft in the First Degree; Identity Theft in the Second Degree; and Computer Trespass. [1] 

“The defendants allegedly perpetrated a wide-ranging conspiracy motivated by profit and greed. In addition to allegedly forging and depositing stolen checks, they robbed random victims and put their safety at risk, once again demonstrating the connection between financial fraud and traditional street crime. Protecting the financial security of Manhattanites is a key component of public safety, and this Office will continue to prioritize uncovering and dismantling these pernicious schemes,” said District Attorney Bragg. 

According to court documents and statements made on the record, the conspiracy was orchestrated by BALLA NIAMBELE and occurred between July 2022 until May 2024. 

The first part of the conspiracy allegedly involved using the cell phones of approximately 35 unsuspecting victims to steal from them. The defendants primarily targeted patrons leaving bars and restaurants in the early morning. They either used deception or the threat of violence to unlock their phones. Once they had access to the unlocked phones, the defendants sent money to themselves through Zelle, wire transfers, Apple Pay and Venmo. They also stole victims’ debit and credit cards to make ATM withdrawals, cash advance transactions, and other purchases, including numerous large purchases at Apple Stores. 

At first, the funds were sent directly to the personal accounts of NIAMBELE and GONE. As the conspiracy evolved over time, the defendants allegedly took additional steps to conceal their activity, including opening fictious financial accounts, using compromised victim accounts to receive funds from additional victims, and using Venmo and CashApp to disguise the identity of the person receiving the stolen funds. 

The second aspect of the alleged conspiracy involved depositing stolen and forged checks. NIAMBELE recruited associates to open accounts at multiple financial institutions. The defendants allegedly obtained stolen checks that had been placed in the mail, and would then allegedly alter the payee so it reflected the name of a financial account they controlled. Many of the checks totaled tens of thousands of dollars, including one deposited into TOURE’S bank account worth $90,594. The defendants created further fictitious checks using the account information from the original stolen checks. 

In 2024, D.A. Bragg called on Cash App, Venmo and Zelle to better protect consumers from fraud, including: adding a second and separate password for accessing the app on a smartphone as a default security option; imposing default lower limits on the monetary amount of total daily transfers; requiring wait times and secondary verification of up to a day for large monetary transactions; and better monitoring accounts for unusual transfer activities and ask for confirmation when suspicious transactions occur. 

In May, D.A. Bragg announced prison sentences for three individuals convicted of a robbery and drugging conspiracy, where they would administer drugs to their victims so they could take their phones and drain their online financial accounts. 

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant D.A. Zachary Weintraub, under the supervision of Assistant D.A.s Christopher Beard (Deputy Chief of the Rackets Bureau), Christopher Conroy (Chief of the Rackets Bureau), and Judy Salwen (Deputy Chief of the Investigation Division), and Executive Assistant D.A. Jodie Kane (Chief of the Investigation Division). Rackets Investigator Kyle Breen, Paralegal Julianne Hegarty, and former Paralegal Shriya Shinde provided valuable assistance with the investigation, as did Forensic Accountant Investigator Kenneth Zorn, under the supervision of Irene Serrapica, Principal Deputy Bureau Chief of the Financial Investigations Unit, and Robert Demarest, Chief of the Forensic Accounting and Financial Investigations Unit. 

D.A. Bragg thanked Inspectors Vincent Jacobellis and Rafae Sajid of the United States Postal Inspection Service, retired Deputy Sheriff Andre Jackson of the New York City Office of the Sheriff, and the NYC Department of Finance for their assistance with the investigation.

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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.