United States of America v. Montressa Cunningham

Topeka, Kansas, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Wire Fraud and Money Laundering.



A jury convicted Defendant Montressa Cunningham ("Cunningham”) of sixteen offenses stemming from a fourteen-month fraudulent scheme. Cunningham and his wife Felicia purchased seven higher-end used cars, financing those purchases

with bank loans they obtained through the car dealerships. Cunningham and his wife obtained those bank loans by providing false information on their loan applications.



Before registering the cars, the Cunninghams altered the title paperwork they received from the car dealerships to eliminate the bank lender's lien information. That enabled the Cunninghams to obtain a false clear title to each vehicle, which they then used to obtain cash, either by selling the car or obtaining a title loan on the vehicle. In this direct criminal appeal, Cunningham challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support seven of his sixteen convictions. Specifically, Cunningham challenges his bank fraud conviction on Count 2, his wire fraud conviction on Count 9, and his money laundering convictions on Counts 12 through 16.

Defendant sentenced to 46 months imprisonment on each count to run concurrently.



Affirmed in part and reversed in part.