THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, OCTObER 16, 2026 Page 9 FRAUD SCHEME | FROM PAGE 3 paycheck isn’t up to par,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Division. “The FBI will investigate anyone engaged in this sort of alleged criminal behavior. To those thinking about following in their footsteps: get ready to learn the same lesson, courtesy of the FBI and our law enforcement partners.” “The arrests made today highlight the broad reach of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service when it comes to dismantling complex fi nancial crimes. This investigation showcases the results that postal inspectors strive to achieve in collaboration with our law enforcement partners. We remain steadfast in our mission of protecting the integrity of the U.S. Mail and all customers who use it,” said Justin Page, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division. According to the fi rst indictment, the defendants allegedly coordinated the theft and deposit of United States Treasury checks, totaling at least $12.2 million between 2023 and 2026. As alleged, each of the U.S. Treasury checks was issued to a true payee but had been altered to be payable to shell companies the defendants controlled. Each defendant allegedly directed the deposit of fraudulent checks at banks or credit unions in and around Metro Boston in exchange for a cut of the proceeds of those deposits. Following the initial fraudulent deposits, the defendants allegedly conducted and caused others to conduct fi nancial transactions to conceal the origin of the stolen funds, including, among other things, the purchase and deposit of cashier’s checks, the purchase of $310,000 in luxury watches and a $425,000 real estate loan secured by property in Nantucket, Mass. Eight other individuals in June 2025 and one other individual in June 2026 were charged with the theft of government funds or bank fraud in connection with the deposit of the same stolen Treasury checks. According to the second indictment, Obeng and others allegedly obtained unauthorized electronic access to victims’ bank and retirement accounts, including through sending texts that were made to appear to be from the victims’ banks seeking to confi rm a recent purchase and by posing as bank representatives in calls with victims. In the calls, conspirators allegedly posed as fraud investigators and persuaded victims to provide codes needed to authorize withdrawals from their accounts under the guise of verifying their identities. Obeng and others allegedly used this access to transfer funds from victim accounts to accounts Obeng and his coconspirators controlled. The indictment also alleges that Obeng and others recruited individuals to go into bank branches and pose as customers, open accounts, transfer or deposit fraud proceeds into these accounts and then withdraw the funds in cash. The charges of bank fraud and bank fraud conspiracy provide for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, fi ve of supervised release and a fi ne of up to $1 million. The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fi ne of up to $250,000. The charges of money laundering and money laundering conspiracy provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fi ne of up to $500,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for sentence of no less than twoyears in prison to run consecutively to any other sentence imposed, one year of supervised release and a fi ne of $250,000. The sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. U.S. Attorney Foley; IRS SAC Demeo; FBI SAC Docks; and Acting USPIS IIC Page made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristen Kearney and Seth B. Kosto of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit are prosecuting the cases. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law. ~ Letter to the Editor ~ Bring back Village Fest Dear Editor, I’m writing as an Everett resident to ask a simple question: when is Village Fest coming back? For years, one Saturday every September, this whole city ended up in the same place. Santilli Highway in the Village closed to traffi c and fi lled with neighbors — families with kids, old friends running into each other, people who’d lived on the same street for years fi nally learning each other’s names. There was music, food trucks, and the local breweries, but the real draw was each other. In 2017 something like 10,000 of us were down there together. You could feel what this city is. Then the pandemic scattered us, and like so much else, the festival never came back. We’ve gotten used to living more separate lives — and the irony is we need a day like that now more than we did then. Everett just proved it can still do this: the Multicultural Festival celebrated its 20th year, neighbors from every background in one place. And look next door — Somerville’s Porchfest turns whole neighborhoods into music venues for a day, and the HONK! festival packs Davis Square with street bands every fall. Those cities never let their community days die. Village Fest deserves the same second chance. It was never really about the headliners, great as they were. It was about a free day where everybody belonged — local shops and food vendors showing what they do, kids running around, and a whole city remembering it’s a community. So I’m asking the city, and anyone reading this who remembers those September Saturdays: let’s bring it back. Not for nostalgia’s sake, but because a city is only as strong as the people in it, and people need a place to be together. Signed, An Everett citizen ANNUAL HALLOWEEN PARTY Y OCT 31 EVERETT REC CENTER , 4 7 EL M ST. SA TURD A Y 2 : 3 0– 5 PM
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