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June 6, 2003
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California announced that Rodney Ocampo and Mylene Ocampo, brother and sister, were both sentenced to prison terms Wednesday following their convictions in a counterfeit check conspiracy targeting a San Francisco-based real estate management company called Catellus Development Corporation. Rodney Ocampo was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay approximately $35,000 in restitution. Mylene Ocampo was sentenced to 12 months in prison and ordered to pay approximately $135,000 in restitution. Both had previously pled guilty to the charges rather than face trial. The sentences were handed down by United States District Judge Charles R. Breyer.
Rodney Ocampo, age 33, and Mylene Ocampo, age 37, both residents of Vallejo, California, had been indicted by a federal grand jury along with two other co-defendants on June 12, 2002. They were charged with conspiracy and with passing counterfeit securities. Two other co-defendants, Salvador Tingzon and David George, were also convicted in connection with the case. Mr. Tingzon was sentenced in January 2003 to 18 months in prison. Mr. George has not yet been sentenced.
In pleading guilty, Rodney Ocampo admitted that he knowingly cashed counterfeit checks drawn on Catellus' account totaling approximately $35,000, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 513(a). He also admitted that he absconded and failed to appear for a required court appearance after being released on bail, which is a separate violation of 18 U.S.C. § 3146(a)(1).
When Mylene Ocampo pleaded guilty, she admitted that she had conspired with Tingzon and George from approximately April 2000 through November 2000 to issue eight counterfeit Catellus checks in amounts ranging from less than $1000 to nearly $40,000 each. In all, the counterfeit checks amounted to more than $140,000. Ms. Ocampo acknowledged that she personally deposited or caused to be cashed three counterfeit checks totaling approximately $50,000.
The prosecution is the result of an investigation by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. AUSA Miles F. Ehrlich is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the case with the assistance of Legal Assistants Lori Lucchetti and Cherrell Hallett.
A copy of this press release may be found on the U.S. Attorney's Office's website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can. Related court documents and information may be found on the District Court website at www.cand.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.cand.uscourts/gov.
All press inquiries to the U.S. Attorney's Office should be directed to Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Jacobs at (415)436-7181.
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