Fraud Ring Exploits New Jersey Filings in $11 Million Check Scheme

The case shows how official corporate records can be turned into tools for bank fraud. The group registered companies with names resembling legitimate payees through the New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, or DORES, and used state-issued or altered documents to impersonate those businesses. The paperwork helped members open accounts and defeat financial institutions’ checks intended to confirm that an account holder matched the named recipient of a stolen check.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey said on Aug. 11, 2026, that the conspiracy ran from March 2023 through June 2025. The group opened accounts at about 30 banks and credit unions and deposited or attempted to deposit more than 100 stolen U.S. Treasury and commercial checks worth over $11 million. Many were Employee Retention Credit refunds. Eight defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud between July 21 and Aug. 4.