Man Convicted In Manhattan Federal Court For Scheme To Steal Over $1.5 Million From New York City’s Human Resources Administration
summary
Salifou Conde, a 31-year-old courier for New York City’s Human Resources Administration, was convicted of bank fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy for stealing over $1.6 million in rent supplement checks by intercepting undeliverable checks meant for low-income residents and fraudulently depositing them into over 40 bank accounts between 2016 and 2019.
paragraph
Salifou Conde was convicted on three counts—wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit both—for orchestrating a scheme to steal over $1.6 million from New York City’s Human Resources Administration (HRA) between 2016 and 2019. He and his co-conspirators intercepted more than 2,400 undeliverable HRA rent supplement checks intended for low-income New Yorkers, which were routed through a post office box, and fraudulently deposited them into over 40 bank accounts before quickly withdrawing the cash. Conde, who worked as a courier tasked with retrieving these checks, played a central role in the theft and laundering process, and now faces maximum prison sentences of up to 30 years on each count.
narrative
Salifou Conde, a 31-year-old New Jersey resident and courier for New York City’s Human Resources Administration (HRA), was convicted in Manhattan federal court on June 29, 2021, of bank fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit both crimes. Between 2016 and 2019, Conde and his co-conspirators stole over 2,400 HRA rent supplement checks—worth more than $1.6 million—that were returned as undeliverable and routed through a designated post office box in New York. As part of his job, Conde retrieved these checks from the post office and diverted them for personal gain, depositing them into a network of over 40 fraudulent bank accounts and swiftly withdrawing the cash. The scheme directly undermined HRA’s mission to provide critical rental assistance to low-income New Yorkers. Conde played a central role in every phase of the fraud: stealing the checks, coordinating their deposit, and facilitating cash withdrawals. He was found guilty after a four-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni and now awaits sentencing, facing maximum penalties of up to 30 years in prison on each count. The case was investigated by the FBI, the New York City Department of Investigation, and the New York State Commissioner of Taxation and Finance, and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Classified public-corruption(confidence 95%). No EDGAR filing fingerprint (criminal/DOJ-side scheme). detection rule →
Parties
audrey straussbank fraud convictionconspiracy convictionconviction datejudge valerie e. capronisalifou conde
Keywords
newscheme stealover millionrent supplementsupplement checkshrachecksfraudcitysteal overcity humanhuman resourcesresources administrationwire fraudconde
Extracted insights
Dollar amounts 4
- $1.60M $ 1.6 million $1M–$10M
- $1.60M $1.6 million $1M–$10M
- $1.50M $1.5 Million $1M–$10M
- $1.50M $1.5 million $1M–$10M
Entities 8
- person audrey strauss
- person bank fraud conviction
- scheme_term bank fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud
- person conspiracy conviction
- person conviction date
- person judge valerie e. caproni
- person salifou conde
- scheme_term wire fraud conviction
Triples 13
- Salifou Conde was convicted of Bank Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud
- Salifou Conde stole from New York City's Human Resources Administration Over $1.6 Million
- Salifou Conde stole Over 2,400 HRA Rent Supplement Checks
- Salifou Conde deposited into More Than 40 Bank Accounts
- Salifou Conde worked as Courier for United States Post Office
- Salifou Conde and Co-Conspirators stole between 2016 and 2019
- Wire Fraud Conviction carries maximum punishment of 20 Years in Prison
- Bank Fraud Conviction carries maximum punishment of 30 Years in Prison
- Conspiracy Conviction carries maximum punishment of 30 Years in Prison
- Audrey Strauss is United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York
- Judge Valerie E. Caproni presided over Four-Day Jury Trial
- Conviction Date was June 29, 2021
- Salifou Conde is 31 Years Old, From New Jersey
Extracted body text (4,225c)
Press Release Man Convicted In Manhattan Federal Court For Scheme To Steal Over $1.5 Million From New York City’s Human Resources Administration Wednesday, June 30, 2021 Share FacebookLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. XLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. LinkedInLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. Email For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that SALIFOU CONDE was found guilty of bank fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud on June 29, 2021, in connection with his involvement in a years-long scheme to steal over $1.5 million from New York City’s Human Resources Administration (“HRA”), following a four-day jury trial before U.S. District Court Judge Valerie E. Caproni. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Salifou Conde was a key participant in a scheme to steal more than 2,400 rent supplement checks worth over $ 1.6 million to the HRA, an agency that provides critical assistance to New Yorkers in need of rental assistance. A Manhattan jury of his peers has found Conde guilty, and he now awaits sentencing for callously targeting a much-needed support system for low income New Yorkers.” As reflected in the Indictment, public filings, and the evidence presented at trial: HRA is an agency of the City of New York responsible for administering certain of the City’s public assistance programs. Among other things, HRA provides rental assistance to low income New Yorkers. For individuals who qualify, HRA provides rental assistance by sending monthly rent supplement checks to landlords or social services organizations that provide housing or residential treatment to cover a portion of the cost of documented expenses such as rent or storage costs. During the period charged in the Indictment, HRA rent supplement checks that were undeliverable were sent back to the same P.O. Box at a United States post office in New York, New York. From there, couriers took the undeliverable checks from the post office and delivered the checks back to HRA. CONDE worked as one of the couriers and stole checks out of the mail. Between approximately 2016 and 2019, CONDE and his co-conspirators were responsible for stealing a total of over 2,400 HRA rent supplement checks worth more than $1.6 million, and fraudulently depositing them into more than 40 bank accounts. CONDE was a key member of the scheme. He helped to steal undeliverable HRA rent supplement checks, deposit the checks into a network of bank accounts, and then quickly withdraw the stolen cash. * * * CONDE, 31, of New Jersey, was convicted of one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison; one count of bank fraud, which carries a maximum punishment of 30 years in prison; and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, which carries a maximum punishment of 30 years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Department of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the New York State Commissioner of Taxation and Finance. The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Danielle Kudla, Elizabeth Espinosa, Nicholas Folly, and Kedar Bhatia are in charge of the prosecution. Contact Nicholas Biase, James Margolin (212) 637-2600 Updated June 30, 2021 Topic Financial Fraud Component USAO - New York, Southern Press Release Number: 21-155
OCR text (4,225c · plain-text · 99% conf)
Press Release Man Convicted In Manhattan Federal Court For Scheme To Steal Over $1.5 Million From New York City’s Human Resources Administration Wednesday, June 30, 2021 Share FacebookLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. XLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. LinkedInLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. Email For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that SALIFOU CONDE was found guilty of bank fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud on June 29, 2021, in connection with his involvement in a years-long scheme to steal over $1.5 million from New York City’s Human Resources Administration (“HRA”), following a four-day jury trial before U.S. District Court Judge Valerie E. Caproni. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Salifou Conde was a key participant in a scheme to steal more than 2,400 rent supplement checks worth over $ 1.6 million to the HRA, an agency that provides critical assistance to New Yorkers in need of rental assistance. A Manhattan jury of his peers has found Conde guilty, and he now awaits sentencing for callously targeting a much-needed support system for low income New Yorkers.” As reflected in the Indictment, public filings, and the evidence presented at trial: HRA is an agency of the City of New York responsible for administering certain of the City’s public assistance programs. Among other things, HRA provides rental assistance to low income New Yorkers. For individuals who qualify, HRA provides rental assistance by sending monthly rent supplement checks to landlords or social services organizations that provide housing or residential treatment to cover a portion of the cost of documented expenses such as rent or storage costs. During the period charged in the Indictment, HRA rent supplement checks that were undeliverable were sent back to the same P.O. Box at a United States post office in New York, New York. From there, couriers took the undeliverable checks from the post office and delivered the checks back to HRA. CONDE worked as one of the couriers and stole checks out of the mail. Between approximately 2016 and 2019, CONDE and his co-conspirators were responsible for stealing a total of over 2,400 HRA rent supplement checks worth more than $1.6 million, and fraudulently depositing them into more than 40 bank accounts. CONDE was a key member of the scheme. He helped to steal undeliverable HRA rent supplement checks, deposit the checks into a network of bank accounts, and then quickly withdraw the stolen cash. * * * CONDE, 31, of New Jersey, was convicted of one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison; one count of bank fraud, which carries a maximum punishment of 30 years in prison; and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, which carries a maximum punishment of 30 years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Department of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the New York State Commissioner of Taxation and Finance. The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Danielle Kudla, Elizabeth Espinosa, Nicholas Folly, and Kedar Bhatia are in charge of the prosecution. Contact Nicholas Biase, James Margolin (212) 637-2600 Updated June 30, 2021 Topic Financial Fraud Component USAO - New York, Southern Press Release Number: 21-155