75-year-old accused of stealing $3 million in tricky check diversion scheme

FLORIDA – A 75-year-old South Florida man has been charged in an alleged $3 million check diversion scheme, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida (USAO).

Alan Paul Brooks, of Aventura, has been charged with mail fraud and money laundering by a Miami federal grand jury, said the USAO.

According to the indictment, from June to December 2022, Brooks engaged in a scheme to steal funds payable to a health system in Louisiana. As alleged, Brooks caused a change of mail address to be filed for a U.S. post office box that received checks for the Louisiana health system.

The alleged address change reportedly diverted checks mailed to the post office box to the defendant’s home in Aventura.

The indictment also alleges that Brooks created fictitious operating names for a Florida shell company he reportedly controlled. The fictitious operating names matched those of the Louisiana health system’s regional medical centers, the USAO said.

According to prosecutors, Brooks also opened bank accounts in Aventura using the fictitious operating names and deposited into those accounts over $3 million in checks that were payable to the actual regional medical centers, according to the charges. Reportedly, after depositing the checks, Brooks moved the funds to other accounts he controlled.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Kyle A. Myles of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), Atlanta Region; Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office; acting Inspector in Charge Juan A. Vargas of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division; Chief of Police Michael Bentolila of the Aventura Police Department, announced the charges.

FDIC-OIG, USSS Miami, USPIS Miami, and Aventura Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael N. Berger is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon is handling asset forfeiture.

An indictment contains mere allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-20117.