Man Sentenced in Scam on Laker Owner’s Check

A Long Beach man was sentenced to two years in prison Monday for his part in a scheme to cash a stolen $161,171 tax refund check intended for Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss.

U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder sentenced Kenneth Reeves, 42, who had pleaded guilty in March to charges of conspiracy and fraud.

Co-defendant Dwayne Kellum, 38, also of Long Beach, is scheduled for sentencing Aug. 12 in two cases.

A month before Kellum pleaded guilty to charges involving Buss’ check, he was convicted of cashing $141,000 worth of stolen checks in another case.

Investigators do not know who stole Buss’ state refund check from the mail, but they believe the culprit is neither Reeves nor Kellum, the U. S. attorney’s office said.