In March 2025, Sarai Jamila Nyasha Freeman, 41, from Aurora, Colorado, was convicted by a federal jury for multiple offenses related to counterfeit checks and identity theft. The charges included two counts of passing and uttering counterfeit obligations and securities, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of failure to appear for her trial initially scheduled for December 2024.
U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Freeman to 48 months in prison with an additional three years of supervised release. She is also required to pay $2,826 in restitution.
Freeman was indicted in July 2024 after using a deceased person’s identity to cash two counterfeit U.S. Treasury checks in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, causing a loss of $2,826. Her activities were part of a larger operation that extended across several states from Louisiana to Colorado. Freeman also cashed fraudulent checks in Missouri and Arkansas.
While on pretrial bond, Freeman received a plane ticket for out-of-state travel but failed to appear for her trial. She was subsequently arrested in Colorado by the U.S. Marshal Service.
Prior to the federal case, Freeman faced state charges after cashing four other fraudulent checks and failing to appear when released on state bond.
Freeman will remain in custody until she is transferred to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The investigation involved the U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Inspector General, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Wal-Mart Global Investigations, and assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David D. Whipple and Charles Greenough led the prosecution.
