Federal prosecutors have charged 15 alleged members and associates of the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation in a bank-fraud conspiracy that authorities say targeted individuals, financial institutions and the U.S. Treasury.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York announced the charges Thursday, Oct. 1. A criminal complaint alleges the defendants conspired to steal checks and use fraudulent banking activity to obtain more than $620,000. Prosecutors said the group operated in Albany and elsewhere beginning at least in September 2024.
The conspiracy charge carries a maximum possible sentence of 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million and as much as five years of supervised release. Any sentence would be determined by a judge after considering federal law and the facts of an individual case.
The investigation involved the FBI Albany Financial Crimes Task Force, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, IRS Criminal Investigation and Albany police. The Justice Department said Binghamton police, the Broome County Sheriff’s Office and the Broome County Investigations Intelligence Unit were among the agencies that assisted.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sandra Hebert and Matthew McCrobie are prosecuting the case. The charges are accusations. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
