A Missouri City man could spend decades in federal prison after a federal indictment alleges he allowed a counterfeit U.S. Treasury check worth more than $1 million to be deposited into his business account.
Torik M. Blade, 39, is one of five people named in a 33-count indictment unsealed Thursday, Aug. 20, according to Click2Houston. A federal grand jury returned the indictment July 22.
Prosecutors allege an unidentified person deposited a counterfeit Treasury tax refund check for $1,052,615.97 into a business account belonging to Blade. He and four co-defendants then allegedly tried to access the money by purchasing cashier's checks, transferring funds between financial institutions and making cash withdrawals.
The co-defendants are Kendra L. Folkes, 37, of Katy; Rickelle D. Taylor, 38, of Spring; Raven N. Morris, 34, of Houston; and Stephen G. James, 42, of Houston.
All five have appeared in court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Yvonne Ho.
Potential penalties
The charges include passing a counterfeit U.S. Treasury check, bank fraud, conspiracy and money laundering. Blade faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the counterfeit check charge alone. Each bank fraud count carries up to 30 years and a $1 million fine. The conspiracy and money laundering charges each carry up to 20 years and $500,000 in fines, Fox 26 reported.
The other four defendants face similar maximum penalties.
Investigation and what's unknown
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, IRS Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Secret Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney John R. Lewis is prosecuting the case in the Southern District of Texas.
Prosecutors have not publicly identified who deposited the counterfeit check or disclosed how the document was created. They also have not said whether any of the money has been frozen or recovered.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
No future court dates have been set.
