The ax keeps coming down on the Harriette Walters crew. The Post is reporting that Walter Jones, 33, a former Bank of America manager from Essex, Md., has pleaded guilty to his role in the Office of Tax and Revenue embezzlement case, which included laundering roughly $18 million, and personally receiving more than $366,000 in stolen money.
Though Walters is credited with being the mastermind of the massive fraud, currently estimated to have totaled up to $50 million, reading the account of Jones’ role makes it clear the scheme would not have worked without his involvement. Jones deposited 61 different fraudulent checks, totaling $17,941,817, over the course of six years. After depositing the bogus checks into the Bank of America, he then arranged for the funds to be converted into cashier’s checks and distributed to other individuals involved in Walters’ fraud ring. Talk about brazen.
Jones could face up to 20 years in prison for his crimes, but will likely face much less. He is the third person to plead guilty for their roles in the worst embezzlement scandal in the city’s history. Eight more people, including Harriet Walters, await trial in the case.