Current, Former NYC Correction Officers Among Eight Charged in Federal Check Fraud Scheme
By Michele Evans
July 21, 2026
Public trust is hard to earn and easy to lose.
Federal prosecutors say that trust was betrayed by several people entrusted with serving the public, including current and former New York City correction officers.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced that eight defendants have been charged in a superseding indictment alleging a scheme involving fraudulent check deposits and the production of counterfeit Social Security cards. The defendants include current and former New York City Department of Correction employees, a Texas parole officer who previously worked for the NYC Department of Correction, and a New York City Transit Authority employee.
According to prosecutors, current New York City Correction Officer Christopher Walker allegedly participated in the fraud scheme and made at least one fraudulent check deposit while wearing his Department of Correction uniform.
The uniform represents public authority, integrity and the responsibility to uphold the law. Prosecutors allege it was instead worn while carrying out a federal crime.
Federal authorities also identified Valeria Waldron, a former New York City correction officer who later became a parole officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, as one of the defendants charged in the case. Former correction officers Aaron Warren and Tara Dildy have already pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
The remaining defendants include Bianca Vieux, Steven Boyce, Daija-Nek Johnson, Michelle Wilson, and Destiny Mendez. One additional defendant remains at large.
According to the superseding indictment, the alleged conspiracy involved depositing falsified checks and producing fraudulent Social Security cards.
As with all criminal cases, the charges are allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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