NEWARK, N.J. — An Essex County man was sentenced to 51 months in prison for his involvement in a bank fraud conspiracy linked to the theft of checks from U.S. mail, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced Monday.
Baba Diakite, 23, of East Orange, New Jersey, had previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, who handed down the sentence in Newark federal court. Diakite’s co-conspirator, Nasir Johnson, was sentenced last year to 49 months in prison for related charges, including mail theft and possession of stolen mail.
According to court documents, from January 2020 to March 2022, Diakite, Johnson, and others conspired to steal checks from mailboxes across New Jersey. They used stolen U.S. Postal Service keys to access mail collection boxes and took envelopes containing checks. The stolen checks were either sold to third parties or altered for higher amounts before being deposited into bank accounts. The conspirators then withdrew funds from those accounts, defrauding the banks. Diakite admitted to causing losses between $550,000 and $1.5 million.
In addition to his prison sentence, Diakite will serve three years of supervised release following his term.
