Brooklyn, New York Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft in Alabama’s River Region

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - A Brooklyn, New York man has been sentenced for his role in a debit card scheme that resulted in more than $214,000 in losses.

On August 12, 2026, 34-year-old Eric Kendrie Shuler, was sentenced 87 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, announced U.S. Attorney Thomas Govan for the Middle District of Alabama. Following his prison term, Shuler will be subject to three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to his plea agreement and other court documents, in the fall of 2024, Shuler and co-defendant Kyara Ivelisse Rosario-Berenguer, 30, from Reading, Pennsylvania, conspired to illegally obtain debit cards and associated account information belonging to members of a local credit union. The defendants then used the unlawfully obtained debit cards to make approximately 201 unauthorized withdrawals from ATMs in and around Montgomery, Alabama totaling $214,757.

On September 8, 2024, officers with the Prattville Police Department spotted Shuler and Rosario-Berenguer and attempted to make contact with them. Both defendants fled in a vehicle. During the pursuit, Shuler maneuvered around numerous vehicles at high speeds, recklessly swapping lanes, driving on the wrong side of the road, running red lights, and reaching speeds of at least 140 mph through traffic on Interstates 65 and 85.

The pursuit ended when Shuler's vehicle collided with a guardrail near the Perry Hill Road exit on I-85 in Montgomery. Shuler continued to resist arrest following the crash but was ultimately taken into custody by law enforcement.

During their respective plea hearings, both Shuler and Rosario-Berenguer specifically admitted that, on a single day in September of 2024, they used unlawfully obtained debit cards and account information to make 138 ATM withdrawals totaling $190,250.

Shuler pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft on April 28, 2026. In addition to the term of imprisonment, the court ordered Shuler to pay $214,757 in restitution jointly and severally with Rosario-Berenguer, meaning the defendants are collectively responsible for the full amount of restitution.

Rosario-Berenguer previously pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft and was sentenced on May 28, 2026, to 24 months in federal prison. She was also ordered to pay $214,757 in restitution jointly and severally with Shuler.

The U.S. Secret Service (USSS) and the Prattville Police Department investigated this case, with assistance from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and Montgomery Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Feil prosecuted the case for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Alabama.