South Florida brothers Luis Miguel Gallo and Juan Gallo, both 21, were arrested for passing counterfeit checks with the help of bank employees. They are accused of drawing counterfeit funds on real accounts with the aid of employees at two South Florida banks.
The brothers were arrested on April 17 after a complaint filed by a Homeland Security agent. According to the complaint, the brothers told the agent, who was undercover, the details of their check cashing scheme.
While Homeland Security is not making comments on the case due to it being an ongoing investigation, details of the criminal complaint filed by the agent reveal information that points to the way the Gallo brothers are said to have executed their plan.
The complaint states that the Gallo brothers revealed their strategy. They created checks to be drawn from sizable bank accounts in increments of less than $10,000. In this way they were able to avoid the scrutiny of bank managers, who need to approve transactions larger than $10,000.
In the same complaint by the undercover agent, it is said that the Gallo’s also admitted that they had accomplices in two South Florida banks – A Wells Fargo and a Bank of America. The bank tellers received $1,000-$2,000 per transaction to keep the Gallo brothers from drawing attention to themselves.
The brothers were said to run their operation from a gated community in the Miramar neighborhood. They were indicted on May 1st and are now awaiting trial.
Accusations of financial fraud and interactions with federal law enforcement are serious matters. An experienced Criminal Lawyer can help you understand your options and defend your rights.
Source:
MiamiHerald.com, “2 South Florida brothers await trial in counterfeit-check scheme linked to bank employees,” Alfonso Chardy, 15 May 2015