COLUMBIA, S.C. — Two Gastonia men were sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for their roles in a money laundering conspiracy involving the theft of a U.S. Treasury check, according to U.S. Attorney, District of South Carolina.
Justin Isiah Hawkins and Emmanuel Lee Baldwin, both 35, were convicted of altering a check worth nearly $200,000 intended for a New Hampshire business.
Evidence from the investigation showed that Hawkins and Baldwin fraudulently altered a legitimate $191,456 Treasury check by making it payable to Baldwin. The pair then laundered the stolen funds through a bank account in Rock Hill and a business entity in New York
Baldwin established the foundation for the scheme by opening a bank account in Rock Hill using a forged check from another institution.
Once the altered Treasury check was deposited into that account, the duo transferred the money to a New York-based LLC controlled by Hawkins.
The men used the laundered funds for various personal expenses.
According to investigators, this included a vehicle that Baldwin purchased with the stolen money. U.S. District Judge Sherri A. Lydon handed down the sentences.
Hawkins was sentenced to 37 months in prison and Baldwin was sentenced to 41 months. Both men must also serve a three-year term of court-ordered supervision following their release.
There is no parole in the federal system.
While Judge Lydon waived potential fines, she ordered the pair to pay $194,075 in restitution.
Hawkins and Baldwin are jointly and severally liable for the payments, which will be directed to the U.S. Treasury and Bank of America. The United States Secret Service and the Rock Hill Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Matthews led the prosecution.