May 29, 2015

Fresno Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Larceny

FRESNO, CA—Darrin Wagner, 49, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to bank larceny, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, in March 2014, Wagner and an accomplice operated a scheme to defraud the Golden 1 Credit Union. They deposited counterfeit money orders and counterfeit checks into the accomplice’s checking account using ATMs in various branches in Fresno. Wagner then withdrew cash and either made purchases or transferred the funds to the accomplice’s Golden 1 savings account.

During the scheme, on March 17, 2014, Wagner deposited two forged money orders for $500 each into a Golden 1 ATM. The ATM misread one of the two forged money orders and erroneously credited the checking account with $85,352.35. Wagner immediately withdrew $500 and transferred $4,000 to the savings account. Three days later, Wagner and his accomplice entered a Golden 1 branch in Clovis and withdrew the rest of the money through cash, cashier’s checks, and Visa gift cards. In total, Wagner took approximately $82,955.65 from Golden 1 between March 15, 2014 and March 20, 2014. Using these proceeds, Wagner purchased, among other things, a Harley Davidson motorcycle.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Clovis Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Mia A. Giacomazzi and Angela L. Scott are prosecuting the case.

Wagner is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill on October 26, 2015. Wagner faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.