2015-07-15 counterfeiting
Federal Sentencing – Counterfeit Checks Cases
Two Amarillo men received federal prison sentences in separate counterfeit checks cases before U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson.
Devin Scott Leamon
Devin Scott Leamon was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison on charges of possession and uttering counterfeit securities and aiding and abetting.
Arrest and Evidence
According to Leamon's plea bargain, Amarillo police arrested Leamon on November 22 on an unrelated charge. During the arrest, officers took an inventory of a Chevrolet Suburban he was driving at the time. Officers discovered:
- Two counterfeit $764 checks
- Other people's identification information
- A laser printer
- Blank check paper
Confession
When interviewed by Amarillo police, Leamon said he was a middleman between one individual and others who provide fake checks. Leamon also told officers he had the fake checks because he was short on money and intended to cash them.
Leamon pleaded guilty to his charges in April 2015. He also faces additional charges in Potter and Randall counties.
William Ryan Laseter
William Ryan Laseter, 40, was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison on a charge of passing and uttering counterfeit securities. Laseter also pleaded guilty to his charges in April 2015.
Scheme Details
In September 2014, Laseter entered an Amarillo Wells Fargo Bank branch and deposited a $305 check from an Oklahoma petroleum company. Laseter received $200 from the check and left the bank, according to federal court records.
He returned the next day and attempted to cash another $861 check, but the bank refused to honor it because it had received information from Amarillo police that Laseter had counterfeit checks.
Investigation
Amarillo police learned that Laseter used an expired temporary driver's license number to cash the $305 check, which was drawn on Unit Petroleum Co. in Tulsa. The company confirmed the check was counterfeit and that Laseter was not associated with the company, court records show.
On November 26, an Amarillo police detective located Laseter, who admitted that he cashed the counterfeit check.
Laseter also faces additional charges in Randall County.
Sentencing
Both men were sentenced in July 2015:
- Leamon: 21 months in federal prison
- Laseter: 10 months in federal prison
The cases were prosecuted in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas before Judge Mary Lou Robinson.