ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County woman appeared in federal court Monday to be sentenced for a counterfeit check scheme.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Tyra Robinson, 21, pleaded guilty in November 2022 to four counts of bank fraud.
Robinson admitted stealing checks from the mail, and using that information to deposit bad checks at banks across the area. All told, she deposited or attempted to deposit more than $40,000, and received at least $22,000 from at least 10 banks. She would withdraw the money before the banks realized the checks were no good.
Robinson recruited numerous co-conspirators, who agreed to let her deposit the checks into their accounts in exchange for a kickback.
She was arrested on March 10, 2022, when St. Louis police attempted to pull Robinson over in connection with a burglary investigation. Robinson attempted to speed away but crashed into another car and was arrested. Police found more than $11,500 in cash inside Robinson’s purse, along with a gun, multiple bank cards, and checks in other people’s names.
A U.S. District Court judge sentenced Robinson to one year in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Robinson was also ordered to repay her victims nearly $11,000 in restitution.