By Alex Rose
PHILADELPHIA – A Virginia woman pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud for her role in a million-dollar scheme to embezzle from wards of court-appointed guardianships and funnel the money through a series of shell companies.
Alesha Mitchell, 41, of Suffolk, Va., entered her plea before U.S. District Judge Petrese B. Tucker, of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, who has set sentencing for July 21.
Mitchell was indicted last year with Gloria Byars, 61, of Aldan, and Carlton Rembert, 67, of Hampton, Va., for allegedly defrauding elderly, incapacitated people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Byars was originally arrested in 2020 with former Democratic candidate for county council Keith Collins and his wife, Caroline Collins – Byars’ sister – as part of the same alleged scheme.
Byars, of the first block of Woodlawn Avenue, had been facing hundreds of state charges, but now faces eight counts in federal court for conspiracy, wire fraud, and aiding and abetting bank fraud and money laundering.
Keith and Carolyn Collins, of the first block of Princeton Avenue in Ridley Park, are still facing 12 state counts each of theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception and receiving stolen property, six misdemeanor theft counts and three felony conspiracy counts. The married couple, who serve as pastors at the Church of the Overcomer in Trainer, are scheduled for a hearing before Delaware County Common Pleas Court Judge Mary Alice Brennan April 18.
According to the indictment and the affidavit of probable cause filed in the state charges last year, Byars had worked from 2008 to October 2016 at a Havertown business that cares for wards appointed by the state. In her position, Byars assisted the company’s owner in managing wards’ assets and had access to their checkbooks and bank accounts, the indictment says.
Byars was appointed guardian of several wards in 2015, granting her access to their assets as well, according to prosecutors. She set up her own corporation in August 2016, called Global Guardian Services LLC, shortly before leaving the Havertown company.
The indictment alleges that Mitchell, Byars and Rembert fraudulently obtained more than $1.2 million of unauthorized checks from incapacitated wards and deposited them into accounts they opened with local banks, then split the proceeds.
Byars allegedly opened business bank accounts for Global Guardian and “ICU Records & Billing,” while Rembert and Mitchell opened accounts for shell corporations “CWR Medical Services,” and “ACC Medical Billing LLC,” the indictment says. Rembert also allegedly opened business bank accounts in the name of a business he previously operated called Grace Home for Children.
The indictment claims Byars stole money from the wards’ accounts by writing unauthorized checks payable to ICURB, Global Guardian, ACC Medical Billing, CWR Medical and Grace Home in order to make the transactions appear to be legitimate medical expenses incurred by the wards.
After depositing the checks, Rembert and Mitchell obtained cashier’s checks, which were then deposited into Byars’ ICURB and Global Guardian accounts as her cut of the take, according to the indictment.
Tucker has ordered a presentence report ahead of sentencing for Mitchell. Conspiracy to commit bank fraud carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tiwana Wright. Mitchell is represented by defense attorney Heather Mattes.
Rembert, represented by Vernon Chestnut, is scheduled for a jury trial June 21. Byars’ former attorney was granted a motion to withdraw as counsel earlier this month. An order entered Monday indicates she has 60 days from that date to retain new counsel or proceed pro se. A request for appointment of alternate counsel was denied.
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