Vicksburg, Mississippi – A Vicksburg man, Laron Evans, has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for running an elaborate scam that targeted healthcare savings accounts and used stolen personal information. Along with the lengthy prison term, he’s also been ordered to pay nearly $2 million in restitution to the victims.
The case revealed a complicated web of crimes involving wire fraud, mail fraud, healthcare fraud, money laundering, identity theft, and even contempt of court. Evans, along with his co-defendant, Travious Quinshad Jackson, orchestrated a scheme that relied on tricking a Maryland-based third-party administrator company.
According to court records, Evans and his accomplices used personal details from 57 unsuspecting individuals. They pretended these people were employees of a fake company and sent their information online to the administrator. This company unknowingly created healthcare savings accounts (HSAs) and issued debit cards in the names of these fake employees, mailing the cards to addresses in Vicksburg.
The scam worked because the third-party company added funds to the HSA accounts, expecting reimbursement from the supposed employer. But when they tried to withdraw money from the company’s bank account, they discovered it was empty.
Evans wasted no time using the fraudulent debit cards. In just two months—April and May 2018—he and Jackson spent the money at various stores, buying gift cards, prepaid debit cards, and other goods.
As if the fraud wasn’t enough, Evans also used some of the stolen funds to buy a 2018 Chevrolet Suburban SUV in Forrest County, Mississippi. He paid $44,335 in cash, plus a trade-in vehicle.
The authorities eventually caught up with Evans, and he appeared in court for the first time in February 2019. Judge Linda Anderson allowed him to be released on bond under strict conditions, including staying within the Southern District of Mississippi. However, Evans didn’t follow the rules.
In April 2019, he traveled outside Mississippi without permission and kept running similar scams. This time, he targeted another third-party administrator based in Minnesota. Evans pretended to run a business in Orlando, Florida, and submitted fake employee details to open new HSA accounts. Between April 16 and April 25, 2019, the Minnesota company mailed some of the debit cards to his home in Vicksburg.
Evans even asked the Minnesota company to fund these accounts with $91,000. By this point, his crimes had snowballed, and the authorities charged him with multiple offenses.
On August 1, 2019, Evans pled guilty to several charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, healthcare fraud, and money laundering, among others.
His co-defendant, Travious Quinshad Jackson, pled guilty earlier that summer to aggravated identity theft. Jackson received a two-year prison sentence and was ordered to pay back $302,099.34 in restitution.
This case highlights the lengths scammers will go to and serves as a warning to businesses and individuals about the importance of protecting personal information. Evans will now face the consequences of his actions, while his victims and the affected companies work to recover from the damage caused.
