Texas Man Gets 4 In Prison For Bank Fraud Scheme in Montana

After admitting to stealing more than $100,000 from Montana banks as part of an organized group that used forged checks and stolen identities to defraud banks, a Texas man was sentenced today to four years in prison, followed by five years suspended release, and ordered to pay $103,149 in restitution.

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Shanetwann Clayton Waldon, 46, of Dallas, Texas pleaded guilty in August 2023 to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Here's What Happened

In court documents, the government alleged that Waldon, working with several co-defendants, traveled from Texas to Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming to pass fraudulent checks at smaller banks. Waldon targeted rural areas because they were a “little ‘country’ and the bank process was slower than in Texas.”

In 2022 and 2023, Waldon made at least four trips to Montana, and on 10 occasions, entered a new bank and stole thousands of dollars. Waldon presented a fake identity to evade detection by law enforcement and used forged instruments to create debts in the name of others.

In Montana, Waldon targeted banks in Hamilton, Bozeman, Billings, and Missoula. He persisted in the scheme months after his initial co-defendants had been arrested.

Waldon and his codefendants stole $141,822 from 30 bank branches in three states. Waldon’s total owed of $103,149 is payable to six Montana banks, including First Interstate Bank, TrailWest Bank, First Security Bank, Opportunity Bank of Montana, Farmers State Bank, and Western Security Bank.

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