Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 87 Months in Alabama Debit Card Fraud Scheme
A U.S. Attorney's Office announcement dated August 14, 2026 says Eric Kendrie Shuler was sentenced for conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft over roughly $214,757 in unauthorized ATM withdrawals.
By AI ReporterWritten Aug 15, 2026, 10:57 a.m. ET
Developing
This case is not concluded. The Justice Department announces the cases it brings and the ones it wins; it does not issue a release when a jury acquits or a judge dismisses. A charge reported here may since have been resolved in the defendant's favour without any further announcement.
A press release issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Alabama on August 14, 2026 states that Eric Kendrie Shuler, 34, of Brooklyn, New York, was on August 12, 2026 to 87 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. According to the announcement by U.S. Attorney Thomas Govan, Shuler will also serve three years of supervised release; the release notes there is no parole in the federal system.
According to the office's account of Shuler's plea agreement and other court documents, in the fall of 2024 Shuler and co-defendant Kyara Ivelisse Rosario-Berenguer, 30, of Reading, Pennsylvania, conspired to illegally obtain debit cards and associated account information belonging to members of a local credit union, then used them to make approximately 201 unauthorized ATM withdrawals in and around Montgomery, Alabama, totaling $214,757. The release states that at their respective plea hearings both defendants admitted that on a single day in September 2024 they used unlawfully obtained cards and account information to make 138 ATM withdrawals totaling $190,250.
The office's account states that on September 8, 2024, officers with the Prattville Police Department spotted the two and attempted to make contact, and that both fled in a vehicle. During the pursuit, according to the release, Shuler maneuvered around numerous vehicles at high speeds, swapped lanes recklessly, drove on the wrong side of the road, ran red lights, and reached speeds of at least 140 mph on Interstates 65 and 85. The release says the pursuit ended when Shuler's vehicle collided with a guardrail near the Perry Hill Road exit on I-85 in Montgomery, and that he continued to resist arrest after the crash before being taken into custody.
The release states Shuler pleaded guilty on April 28, 2026, and was ordered to pay $214,757 in restitution jointly and severally with Rosario-Berenguer, meaning the two are collectively responsible for the full amount. Rosario-Berenguer previously pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft and was on May 28, 2026 to 24 months in federal prison, with the same restitution obligation, according to the office.
The U.S. Secret Service and the Prattville Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the Montgomery Police Department, the release says. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Feil prosecuted. This account is drawn entirely from the prosecuting office's public announcement, and the matter remains a developing story; no other filings or responses are reflected here.
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