news-record.com

 GREENSBORO — A local man is looking at up to 277 years in state prison after pleading guilty Friday morning to his involvement in an elaborate check-kiting scheme that netted $3.4 million from area banks.

Terrell Leavette Raynor, 40, pleaded guilty to seven counts of identity theft, two counts of conspiracy to obtain property by false pretense and 10 counts of obtaining property by false pretense.

He will be sentenced Monday morning in Guilford County Superior Court.

In 2006 and 2007, Raynor — along with co-defendants Beverly Hinson, Derrick McDow, Tremaine Denise Brown, T.O. “Pella” Stokes III and Jason Stewart — were accused of writing checks drawn on accounts that lacked funds.

They later allegedly placed stop orders on the checks after the money had been withdrawn.

Hinson, a former teller at several Wachovia branches, pleaded guilty in June 2008 for her role and is serving a six-year prison sentence.

Cases against the other co-defendants are pending.

Court records state that on numerous occasions, Raynor deposited worthless checks from accounts into a Wachovia account belonging to McDow.

Hinson, in her role as a teller, issued certified checks valued at more than $100,000 to Raynor and verified the funds were available in McDow’s account. In fact, they weren’t.

Wachovia was defrauded of an estimated $2.2 million.

A similar scheme targeted SunTrust bank and involved Raynor and Stokes, his former lawyer and business partner, according to court records. Stewart, a former SunTrust bank manager, is accused of overriding security protocols and approving the funds to be transferred.

SunTrust bank security uncovered the scheme and alerted Greensboro police.

Hinson is the ex-wife of Greensboro police Lt. James Hinson. The couple divorced in 2005, and police have said there is no indication he was connected to the scheme.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Secret Service and the U.S. Postal Service were involved in the investigation. The N.C. Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting.

Judge Ed Wilson continued Raynor’s $1.2 million bond he posted to get out of jail, which allows him to remain free until Monday’s sentencing.

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals@news-record.com