Camden County Man Facing Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft Charges

A Camden County man and another from Bronx, NY, have been charged for their roles in a scheme to steal bank customer identities and then use that information to steal more than $600,000.

32-year-old Jamere Hill-Birdsong of Gloucester City and 31-year-old Lamar Melhado of the Bronx are each charged in a 10-count indictment; both have been arrested, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig.

According to the indictment:

From August 2016 through August 2017, Hill-Birdsong and Melhado conspired with each other and others to defraud a Mount Laurel, New Jersey, bank. Hill-Birdsong worked inside the call center and recruited other call center employees to participate in the scheme by stealing the identities and account information of customers who called into the bank’s call center. The conspirator bank employees would then take photographs or screenshots of the bank customer’s account information and signatures and would send that information to Hill-Birdsong and Melhado. The conspirators then had phony identification documents made in the names of the bank customers, and used various runners to go into bank branches and make unauthorized cash withdrawals. The conspirators also used the stolen identity information to conduct unauthorized online transfers of moneys from the customer’s accounts.

Hill-Birdsong is charged with bank fraud conspiracy, five counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

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Melhado is charged with bank fraud conspiracy, six counts of bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

Each count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud are punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Each count of aggravated identity theft is punishable by an additional consecutive term of up to two years.

Both men are scheduled to make a court appearance Thursday afternoon.