A Boston woman helped move money from fraudulently obtained cashier’s checks through a business account, then gave the bank a false explanation when one of the checks was frozen for suspected fraud.
Trinity Antonetty, 25, has now been sentenced after pleading guilty to bank fraud, according to CT Insider. Two additional defendants were charged in January 2026.
Federal prosecutors say Antonetty allowed Phalentz Vernot to deposit fraudulent cashier’s checks into a business account she opened.
When the bank became suspicious and froze another check, Antonetty called and claimed she operated a high-end car dealership and that the money was connected to a luxury vehicle.
She Opened the Business Account
The multimillion dollar scheme defrauded banks in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, officials said. https://t.co/CfuU9Ao1yn
— New Haven Register (@nhregister) August 19, 2026
Antonetty’s role in the scheme took place between July and October 2024. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, she opened a business bank account and allowed Vernot to deposit fraudulently obtained cashier’s checks into it.
Antonetty then used funds from one of those checks to purchase another cashier’s check payable to a shell company controlled by Vernot. Her case involved one part of a broader investigation into a multimillion-dollar operation that prosecutors say targeted banks in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
The scheme encountered a problem when the bank flagged another cashier’s check Vernot had deposited into Antonetty’s account and froze it. Antonetty called the bank and said she operated a high-end car dealership, prosecutors said. Federal prosecutors say that explanation was false.
The Wider Scheme Used Stolen Bank Customer Information
Antonetty’s case was connected to a much larger investigation involving financial institutions across New England. Federal prosecutors say Vernot and others obtained bank customers’ names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and account numbers without authorization.
The broader group allegedly recruited people to impersonate those customers and obtained fraudulent identification documents containing the real customers’ names but the impostors’ photographs.
Those impostors were then driven to banks in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, where prosecutors say they presented the false identification and withdrew large sums from victims’ accounts in the form of cashier’s checks.
Prosecutors Say Bank Insiders Helped the Ring
When federal prosecutors first announced charges against Vernot and five other men in July 2025, they alleged that participants had recruited bank insiders who provided access to customer information and disabled account notifications that otherwise might have warned customers about unauthorized withdrawals.
Later guilty-plea announcements provided another detail. Prosecutors said some insiders were paid to help facilitate the scheme, including by deliberately bypassing customer-verification procedures.
Other participants helped move the resulting cashier’s checks through accounts they controlled. Prosecutors said Keith Wainaina deposited or attempted to deposit more than $762,000 in cashier’s checks drawn on victims’ accounts, while Victor Kolawole deposited approximately $373,000.
She Pleaded Guilty to Bank Fraud
Antonetty pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud in March 2026. On Aug. 18, U.S. District Judge Julia E. Kobick sentenced her to time served, which the Justice Department described as approximately one day in prison.
She will also spend two years on supervised release, with the first 60 days under home detention, and must pay $56,000 in restitution.
Vernot pleaded guilty in December 2025 and is currently scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 21. Kolawole is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 13, while Wainaina is scheduled for Nov. 10.
Two additional defendants, William Shaw and Rosemary Parks, were charged in January 2026. Parks has since pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 11. Charges that remain unresolved against other defendants are accusations and have not been proven in court.
Bank Alerts Help, but Customers Should Also Check Their Accounts Directly
The Federal Trade Commission recommends regularly reviewing bank accounts for withdrawals or other activity a customer does not recognize. Transaction alerts by text or email can provide an additional warning when money moves unexpectedly.
Alerts should not be the only safeguard. Prosecutors specifically allege that insiders in this ring sometimes disabled account notifications, making it important for customers to log into their accounts independently and review balances and transactions.
Anyone who discovers an unauthorized withdrawal should contact the bank’s fraud department immediately. The FTC’s IdentityTheft.gov guidance tells consumers who find fraudulent withdrawals to report them to the financial institution and take steps to secure the affected account.
If stolen Social Security numbers or other identifying information may also be involved, victims can use IdentityTheft.gov to create a recovery plan. A credit freeze or fraud alert can also make it more difficult for someone with stolen identifying information to open additional credit accounts in the victim’s name.