CHICAGO (STNG) -- A reward is being offered for information leading to the capture of man who witnesses said wore expensive clothing and drove fancy cars and is suspected in a series of bank frauds and identity thefts in the south and west suburbs in 2001.
The suspect -is believed to be responsible for theft and frauds which resulted in a loss of $160,000 to Bank One, according to an FBI release. The man used several aliases, including Odell M. Bigby, Keiko Ashida and Robert Osborne.
On April 2, 2003, a federal arrest warrant was issued for the man, who was charged under the name “John Doe” with bank fraud.
The “John Doe” defrauder assumed the identities of several legitimate citizens by obtaining driver’s licenses, establishing accounts and creating “shell companies’’ in the names of innocent people during 2001, according to the release.
He then deposited multiple stolen and forged Bank One checks before the banks became aware of the fraud, the release said. The withdrawals took place at bank branches in west suburban LaGrange Park and south suburban Blue Island, Alsip and Midlothian.
The investigation led the FBI to four Chicago apartment buildings where “John Doe” entered units using stolen identities. The apartments were used as mail drops in furtherance of check fraud schemes, the release said. Witnesses told the FBI he drove fancy cars and wore expensive clothing while presenting himself as a businessman from Nigeria.
Witnesses also said substantial amounts of mail from various financial institutions would accumulate at the apartments he rented under stolen identities.
A reward of up to $1,500 is being offered for information leading the to identification and arrest of the man, the release said.
“John Doe” is described as a black male of Nigerian descent in this 30s, 5-foot-8 and about 170 pounds. Anyone with information should call call the FBI at (312) 421-6700.
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