Illinois Man Sentenced in $150,000 Bank Fraud Scheme

Memphis, TN – A federal judge in Memphis sentenced Danville, Illinois native Joseph Willis, 44, to more than two years in prison for bank fraud. United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in court, Willis was living in Memphis when he and several co-conspirators executed a scheme to deposit and cash stolen United States Treasury checks. Between April and August 2018, Willis and others deposited or attempted to deposit no fewer than six stolen checks, totaling $150,657.26. The United States Postal Inspection Service began investigating Willis and found his fingerprints on multiple stolen U.S. Treasury checks. Investigators also obtained camera footage from several local banks that showed him depositing the stolen checks.

Willis pled guilty to bank fraud on October 20, 2023. On March 1, Chief United States District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Willis to 25 months in federal prison for his role in the crime to be followed by three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Kevin Ritz thanked Assistant United States Attorney William Bateman, who prosecuted this case, as well as law enforcement partners who investigated the case.