Federal authorities in New Orleans have filed criminal charges against a formerly homeless man who told investigators he was recruited to carry out a multistate financial fraud.
William J. White, 59, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. He told officers that three men asked him when he was living on the streets of Arizona over the summer to be a part of the scheme, which used fraudulent checks and IDs to obtain cash throughout Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Nebraska and Louisiana.
Local authorities say they caught White in the act on Oct. 26. He entered the Hancock Whitney Bank branch at 3060 N. Causeway Blvd. in Metairie, gave bank employees a fake Florida ID and tried to cash a check made out to an authentic bank customer, according to a sworn affidavit filed by a federal security agent.