23 North Texans arrested, charged in East Texas money laundering conspiracy

TEXAS, USA — Federal officials announced Friday that nearly two dozen people from the Dallas-Fort Worth area had been arrested and charged in connection with a money laundering conspiracy.  

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), 23 people were alleged to have conspired to launder the proceeds of wire fraud in order to conceal the nature, location, source and ownership of the money gained by fraud. 

The federal indictment also alleges that the conspirators would open bank accounts, use assumed business names, and transfer, withdraw, and move the money and use it for their own purposes. 

Sources for the alleged money laundering included: fraud based on business email compromise, romance scams, unemployment insurance fraud, and Payroll Protection Program (PPP) fraud. 

The indictment says more than $3.5 million was taken.

Here are the 23 North Texans charged in this case: 

Kendrick Lavell Collins, 42, of AubreyLetisha Ann Stover, 41, of RichardsonSpencer Leonard Leigh, 35, of EvermanDanuielle Fowler Edney, 51, of PlanoDiamond Plashette Edwards, 24, of Grand PrairieTabitha Lashawn Deberry, 34, of DallasAmos Wilson, 56, of DallasAndrew Demarcus Penny, 45, of DallasDemetrics Devon Black, 31, of DallasJarrick Otishey Buckhanan, 43, of DallasJerica Jareese Matthews, 31, of AnnaJohn Gantt, 35, of DallasLemar Mashawn Cohen, a.k.a. Lemar Marshawn Cohen, 36, of DallasChibuike Samuel Iwuh, 30, of The ColonyCynthia Mechelle Wilson, 55, of DallasDontrell Lamon Amie, 42, of North Richland HillsEric Jason Vaughan, 49, of ArlingtonJeremiah Lee Gantt, 28, of DallasJoshua Matthew Baham, 27, of AnnaLesley Odell Brown, 32, of CarrolltonMichael Andre Studaway, 26, of DallasTamara Dawn Thomas, 41, of DallasTimothy Dwayne Hoston, 44, of Carrollton

If convicted, the defendants each face up to 20 years in federal prison, DOJ said in a news release. 

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