The United States Department of Justice sends this information as posted below:
OKLAHOMA CITY – GAYLEN DASHON STEPHENS, 29, and LENIE EUGENE JENNINGS, 29, both of Oklahoma City, have been sentenced to serve more than 40 months in federal prison collectively and pay $177,964.74 in restitution for their roles in a scheme to obtain and forge checks stolen from the United States Mail, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to public records, from March 2023 through October 2023, Stephens and Jennings conspired to obtain checks stolen from the United States Mail, forge the checks by altering the payee name, and then deposit the forged checks into bank accounts created by Stephens and Jennings to obtain cash. During the course of the conspiracy, it’s alleged Stephens and Jennings attempted to steal approximately $277,000.
On July 17, 2024, a federal Grand Jury indicted Stephens and Jennings. Stephens has pleaded guilty to bank fraud and admitted he knowingly and intentionally engaged in a scheme to deposit a fraudulent check with the intent to defraud the bank. Jennings has pleaded guilty to bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud and forge checks. As part of her plea, Jennings admitted she conspired with Stephens to obtain and deposit fraudulent checks with the intent to defraud the bank.
At a sentencing hearing held on July 21, 2025, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton sentenced Stephens to serve 28 months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release. That same day, Judge Heaton also sentenced Jennings to serve 12 months and one day in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Heaton also ordered restitution in the amount of $177,964.74, the total amount of actual loss reported by the victim banks, to be paid jointly and severally by Stephens and Jennings. In announcing his sentencings, Judge Heaton noted that crimes involving theft of United States Mail and fraud upon financial institutions undermine public trust in these institutions, and that the nature of these crimes, combined with the substantial loss in this case, warranted the sentences imposed to reflect the seriousness of the offenses and to deter this kind of conduct by others.
This case is the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jackson D. Eldridge prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
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