LOS ANGELES, Calif. — An Atlanta man will spend nearly a decade in federal prison after prosecutors say he helped lead a scheme involving stolen mail, altered checks and social media recruiting.
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Chase Matthew Griffin, 26, also known as “Trey,” of Atlanta, who also resided in Ontario and South Los Angeles, was sentenced to 108 months behind bars for his role in a $2.8 million bank fraud conspiracy, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Griffin was also ordered to pay more than $307,000 in restitution. He pleaded guilty in March to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and has been in federal custody since September 2025.
According to court documents, Griffin and others stole checks from the mail between 2022 and September 2025, then altered them or created fake versions to make them appear legitimate.
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Prosecutors said Griffin recruited people online, often through Instagram, to provide access to bank accounts where the phony checks could be deposited.
Investigators said Griffin advertised for account holders while posting photos of himself with large stacks of cash. Once an account was obtained, the group would deposit checks worth tens of thousands of dollars and quickly withdraw the money before banks detected the fraud.
In one case, a North Hollywood business reported three checks totaling about $84,490 were stolen after being mailed from a U.S. Postal Service collection box in Tarzana. The checks were later deposited into accounts not belonging to the intended recipients, and investigators said the payees had been changed.
Authorities said money from the fraudulent checks was withdrawn through ATMs, sent through payment apps including Zelle and Cash App, and used for purchases including a plane ticket and casino transactions.
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