Mobile Man and Woman Convicted in $25 Million Bank Fraud Scheme Targeting Federal Court, Luxury Car Dealership

A federal jury has convicted a Mobile man and woman on charges of conspiring to commit bank fraud in a scheme that involved more than $25 million in fraudulent checks mailed to the U.S. District Court in Mobile and a luxury car dealership, along with related prison contraband offenses.

According to court documents and evidence presented over a two-day trial, Kartarius Dewan Johnson, 45, and Danisha Anita Foster, 39, conspired to commit bank fraud while Johnson was a federal inmate at the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton, Alabama, in an effort to secure his release from federal custody. In July 2023, U.S. District Judge Terry F. Moorer of the Southern District of Alabama had sentenced Johnson to 231 months in federal prison on unrelated fraud schemes, aggravated identity theft, and false-statement charges.

At trial, jurors reviewed emails, Snapchat messages, recorded jail calls and other evidence showing that after Johnson’s sentencing, he and Foster coordinated to draft fictitious “sovereign citizen”-style documents, which Foster mailed to the federal courthouse in Mobile and the U.S. Secretary of State in Washington, D.C. The packages included fabricated checks bearing the routing number of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The fraudulent checks, totaling $25 million, were accompanied by documents purporting to obligate the court to release Johnson from custody. Federal agents also found that Johnson had sent a similar fictitious check for $825,000 to a luxury vehicle dealership in Houston, Texas, in an attempt to fraudulently purchase two Rolls-Royce vehicles.

In October 2023, federal agents seized a contraband cellphone from Johnson at the detention center, and in January 2024, agents seized Foster’s phone under a federal search warrant. The devices contained messages, photos, videos and other evidence connected to the pair’s schemes to defraud banks, the court and the Houston dealership. Jurors also saw evidence that Foster made contraband payments to Johnson through Cash App, which prosecutors say Johnson converted to Bitcoin and used to illegally gamble from inside the detention center. In December 2023, Johnson and Foster allegedly submitted a fake driver’s license bearing Johnson’s name but another person’s photo to an online gambling platform, which closed Johnson’s account over the fraudulent activity.

U.S. District Judge Kristi K. DuBose is scheduled to sentence Johnson and Foster in November 2026. Each defendant faces a maximum prison term of 30 years, up to five years of supervised release, and possible fines, restitution and special assessment fees.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama announced the convictions. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Roller and Michael Tabarrok prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

Bank fraud conspiracy cases involving federal inmates attempting to manufacture their own release are a recurring pattern federal prosecutors have flagged in recent years, often tied to so-called “sovereign citizen” ideology, which falsely claims individuals can use fabricated financial instruments to discharge debts or compel government action. Federal authorities have repeatedly warned that such schemes carry serious additional criminal exposure on top of whatever sentence an inmate is already serving.

What Happens Next

Before sentencing, the U.S. Probation Office prepares a presentence investigation report for the court. The judge then considers the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors; the 30-year figure is the maximum penalty allowed by law, not a predicted sentence.