Buffalo man pleads guilty to 10 felony charges in scheme to defraud banks and an insurance company [The Buffalo News, N.Y.]

Mar. 20—A Buffalo man who fraudulently obtained more than $72,000 from various banks and an insurance company pleaded guilty Monday in State Supreme Court to 10 felony charges, according to the Erie County District Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors said 25-year-old Christian D. Johnson, who is currently in federal custody, faces a maximum of 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on June 9.

Between April 2019 and November 2020, Johnson defrauded various banks out of $52,340 by depositing forged checks into bank accounts which he created for fictitious businesses, then withdrew the funds before the checks were returned.

He also used fraudulent means to obtain an additional $20,000 from an insurance company after he was involved in a car accident in March 2020. Johnson claimed that, as a result of the crash, he lost wages while employed by one of his phony businesses.

Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree insurance fraud, one count of first-degree identity theft and three counts of third-degree grand larceny. He also pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and one count of first-degree scheme to defraud.

As part of the plea deal, Johnson signed confessions of judgment to pay full restitution to the insurance company and banks he defrauded.

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