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Grand jury indicts
By Debra Barayuga
fraud suspect
Star-BulletinA federal grand jury has indicted a 35-year-old California man for allegedly defrauding banks of nearly $270,000 between May 1999 and early this month.
Nkemululam Tony Job pleaded not guilty today in federal court to six counts of bank fraud. Trial was set for April 18.
Job was arrested in Waikiki earlier this month. He is the only person arrested in the scheme thus far, but the FBI is continuing an investigation.
"The nature of the scheme suggests more than one person," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Omer Poirier.
According to the indictment, Job or other individuals contacted banks on the mainland posing as account-holders and would request a change of address or telephone number. They would order additional checks to be sent to the new addresses.
Job allegedly used aliases and small cash deposits to open accounts here at Bank of Hawaii and First Hawaiian Bank. Forged checks were provided to him and he deposited the checks into newly opened accounts.
As soon as the checks cleared, he would make withdrawals, each under $10,000, Poirier said.
Job is charged with depositing six checks in the amounts of $49,200, $48,907, $49,802, $47,900, $49,721 and $23,900.
He used the aliases Timothy Burns, Robert Northcuff, Christopher Harris and Kaiser Anthony Ike.
If convicted of the charges, Job faces maximum statutory penalties of 30 years imprisonment, $1 million fine and five years supervised release on each count.
