YOUNGSTOWN - The third and final suspect has been sentenced for a $325,000 fraud scheme that involved three Valley Walmart and several local banks.

A federal judge on Thursday sentenced 33-year-old John Lee Watkins of Stow, Ohio to three years in prison.  Watkins pleaded guilty earlier to 12 counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Prosecutors say Watkins, along with Valerie Masongsong of Henderson, Nevada, and Terrell Tomlin of Ogden, Utah used the Walmart2Walmart money transfer service to defraud banks including Wells Fargo, Key Bank, Chemical Bank, Farmers National Bank, and Woodforest Bank in Austintown, Poland, Liberty, Canfield, Stow, Streetsboro, Canton, and Kent.

Walmart2Walmart allows a person to transfer money to another person from one Walmart to be picked up by someone at another Walmart location.

Investigators say the three used their real name or a false identity to initiate a transfer using a bank card to another co-defendant or fictitious person.

The U.S. Attorney says Youngstown, Poland, Austintown, Stow, Streetsboro, Kent, and Canton Walmart locations were used in the scheme.

Once the person receiving the money withdrew it from the second Walmart location, the person would withdraw the money from their bank account before the bank could complete a fraud investigation and reverse the charges.

The other two defendants have already been convicted and sentenced.

Masongsong is serving an 18-month sentence for sixteen counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy.

Tillis is on probation after pleading guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy.

The three have been ordered to pay $325,414 restitution to the victims.