A member of a South Los Angeles-based Crips street gang has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for his role in a $2.8 million bank fraud scheme that prosecutors say he promoted on Instagram by recruiting people to hand over access to their bank accounts.
Chase Matthew Griffin, 26, also known as “Trey,” was sentenced Thursday to 108 months in federal prison after pleading guilty in March to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton also ordered Griffin to pay $307,386 in restitution. He has been in federal custody since September 2025.
Federal prosecutors said Griffin participated in the scheme from 2022 through September 2025, obtaining checks stolen from the mail before altering or counterfeiting them so they appeared payable to accomplices.
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Screenshots of an Instagram account allegedly used by Chase Matthew Griffin show posts displaying large amounts of cash and advertisements seeking access to bank accounts, according to federal prosecutors. July 2026. (DOJ) -
Screenshots of an Instagram account allegedly used by Chase Matthew Griffin show posts displaying large amounts of cash and advertisements seeking access to bank accounts, according to federal prosecutors. July 2026. (DOJ) -
Screenshots of an Instagram account allegedly used by Chase Matthew Griffin show posts displaying large amounts of cash and advertisements seeking access to bank accounts, according to federal prosecutors. July 2026. (DOJ) -
Screenshots of an Instagram account allegedly used by Chase Matthew Griffin show posts displaying large amounts of cash and advertisements seeking access to bank accounts, according to federal prosecutors. July 2026. (DOJ)
According to court documents, Griffin frequently used Instagram to recruit bank account holders willing to provide access to their accounts. Prosecutors said he posted photos of himself holding stacks of cash more than a foot high while advertising for participants.
Once recruits were found, Griffin and his co-conspirators deposited fraudulent checks, often worth tens of thousands of dollars, into those accounts before quickly withdrawing the money ahead of banks detecting the fraud, authorities said.
One example cited by prosecutors involved a North Hollywood business that mailed three checks totaling about $84,490 from a U.S. Postal Service collection box in Tarzana in December 2023. The checks were allegedly stolen, altered with new payees and deposited into JPMorgan Chase accounts that did not belong to the intended recipients.
Investigators said additional stolen checks were converted into counterfeit versions matching the originals’ dates, check numbers and amounts but listing different payees. Authorities traced the transactions to Griffin after the funds were rapidly spent through ATM withdrawals, Zelle and Cash App transfers, a plane ticket purchase and transactions at a San Bernardino County casino.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the Upland Police Department.
