Port Neches Man Sentenced for Counterfeit Check Scheme

BEAUMONT, TX—United States Attorney Rebecca A. Gregory announced today a 33-year-old Beaumont man has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for his role in a counterfeit check scheme in the Eastern District of Texas.

LARRY ARMON DeBLANC, JR. pleaded guilty on March 5, 2008, to conspiring to make counterfeit securities, possessing false identification documents and production and possession of false identification documents and was sentenced to 24 in federal prison today by United States District Judge Ron Clark. DeBlanc was also ordered to pay $24,483.00 in restitution.

According to information presented by prosecutors, a search warrant was executed at Deblanc's Port Neches residence in Sept. 2007, during which law enforcement officers discovered a counterfeit payroll check, blank counterfeit personal checks, several computers, numerous ink cartridges, copy paper, and a paper cutter Further investigation revealed the computer contained numerous images of checks, payroll stubs, drivers' licenses with photos, currency images and cut and paste images of signatures, company names and addresses, all commonly used in the production of counterfeit checks and documents. The search warrant was in response to an arrest by Nederland Police of another individual on Sept. 25, 2007, attempting to cash a $100 bill. The Golden Triangle Federal Credit Union sustained a loss of $8,396.98 based upon these transactions. Mid County Teachers Credit Union sustained a loss of $4,095.75 based upon these transactions. In Aug. 2007, a company in Sulpher, Louisiana, where DeBlanc was formerly employed, received numerous criminal notices of bad or NSF checks under the Texas Penal Code from Texas merchants for approximately fourteen checks which were counterfeit. The checks had the company's correct name and address but an incorrect account number and financial institution. The total of these checks are $9,274.66.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Groves Police Department, the Port Neches Police Department, the Nederland Police Department, and the United States Postal Inspection Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert L. Rawls.