A man and woman were charged Tuesday in a phony ATM deposit scheme that netted more than $170,000.
Nekisha Brooks, 28, and Michael Johnson, 52, both of Alexandria, were charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud. If convicted, they each face a maximum of 30 years in prison.
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The duo conspired to make fake bank deposits into ATM machines around the Washington area and then withdrew money from the accounts before the financial institution realized the deposits were fraudulent, according to charging documents filed in federal court in Alexandria.
The scheme lasted from December to April before anybody caught on, and the duo was able to withdraw about $174,000 in cash, court papers said.
The scam was relatively simple.
Johnson opened an account with the State Department Federal Credit Union, or SDFCU, in June 2011, and obtained an ATM credit card and a PIN number.
To deposit money into an account, a Credit Union member inserted a debit card into the ATM, typed in a PIN and then push a button asking to make a deposit. Deposits can be made using cash or checks, and checks can be put into the ATM individually or in an envelope.
The user then type in the amount of the deposit, and a slot opens to insert the check or envelope.
After that, the user can immediately withdraw a portion of the deposit, and the machine will then eject cash.
The conspirators simply deposited invalid checks or empty envelopes and then immediately withdrew a portion of the bogus deposit, authorities said.
Around Christmas, Dec. 21 through Dec. 28, Johnson used his ATM card to make 34 deposits, claiming to put $278,584 into his account, and withdrew $24,748.
Brooks and Johnson used their own ATM cards and paid other SDFCU members to use their ATM cards and PIN numbers to make similar bogus deposits and withdrawals, documents said.
