ALBANY — Three men who participated in a nationwide fraud and theft ring that operated in Columbia and Greene counties for a brief time were sentenced Thursday in federal court, according to a joint statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI and Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
Randall Taylor, 37, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Cedric Lynch, 38, of Orlando, Florida; and Keyshawn Arnold, 27, of Schenectady, all known members of the “Felony Lane Gang,” will spend between 4 and 6 years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty in December 2022 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The gang achieved local infamy by engineering multiple break-ins in Columbia and Greene counties in 2019, including vehicles in the parking lots of Planet Fitness in Greenport and the former Sweat Fitness in Catskill, which closed during the pandemic.
By pleading guilty, the three men each admitted that they were involved in a fraud scheme at various times between 2015 and 2020, according to U.S. Attorney Carla Freedman.
To operate the scheme, the three men and their co-conspirators traveled across the country breaking into cars, often targeting those parked by women at locations such as health and fitness centers, day cares and parks, Freedman said.
They stole purses containing debit cards, credit cards, checkbooks and photo identifications in these “smash-and-grab” vehicle thefts, and they recruited women to commit bank fraud by impersonating the smash-and-grab victims in drive-through bank lines in order to cash stolen checks, Freedman said.
“The check cashers were almost always suffering from an addiction to controlled substances and were provided payment at least partially in drugs,” Freedman said. “The total loss amount from the conspiracy was over $1 million, with individual co-conspirators responsible for portions of that loss.”
U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino sentenced all three men.
Taylor was sentenced Dec. 20, to more than 5 years imprisonment and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $54,967, along with a forfeiture money judgment of $11,240, and he was ordered to serve a 4-year term of supervised release after completing his term of imprisonment.
Lynch was sentenced Nov. 22, to more than 5 years imprisonment and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $80,464, along with a forfeiture money judgment of $11,740, and he was ordered to serve a 4-year term of supervised release.
Arnold was sentenced Nov. 20, to more than 4 years imprisonment and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $142,670, along with a forfeiture money judgment of $19,810, and he was ordered to serve a 4-year term of supervised release.
Six other defendants were charged in the indictment as co-conspirators with Taylor, Lynch and Arnold. All six pleaded guilty in 2022 and were sentenced between February and October 2023.
Joshua Mallory, 38, of Fort Lauderdale, was sentenced Oct. 27, to more than 6 years imprisonment and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $364,989, along with a forfeiture money judgment of $17,183, and he was ordered to serve a 5-year term of supervised release.
Tyrone Parker Jr., 24, of Fort Lauderdale, was sentenced Oct. 20, to more than 5 years imprisonment and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $81,737, along with a forfeiture money judgment of $8,630, and he was ordered to serve a 4-year term of supervised release.
Robert Natson, age 37, of Fort Lauderdale, was sentenced Oct. 4, to more than 3 years imprisonment and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $34,400, along with a forfeiture money judgment of $4,352, and he was ordered to serve a 4-year term of supervised release.
Gary Grier, of Fort Lauderdale, was sentenced Aug. 25, to more than 4 years imprisonment and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $163,964, along with a forfeiture money judgment of $1,880, and he was ordered to serve a 3-year term of supervised release.
Terrell McDonald, 33, of Troy, was sentenced March 13, to more than 5 years imprisonment and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $133,190, along with a forfeiture money judgment of $17,648, and he was ordered to serve a 3-year term of supervised release.
Tyrone Parker, 42, of Fort Lauderdale, father of co-defendant Tyrone Parker Jr., was sentenced Feb. 13, to more than 4 years imprisonment and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $132,990, along with a forfeiture money judgment of $7,202, and he was ordered to serve a 3-year term of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the FBI Westchester Resident Agency of the New York Field Office and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department. They were assisted locally by New York State Police and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.