SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Marcus Dieter Felder, 54, is headed to federal prison for a century after a jury convicted him of a long-running scheme to fleece hotels, airlines, and rental car companies using stolen credit card information. Felder was sentenced to 100 months behind bars by U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney, a penalty reflecting the scope and brazenness of his operation.
The scheme, spanning from April 2013 to October 2014, saw Felder racking up charges at luxury establishments in San Francisco, Hawaii, and Placer County. He wasn’t pinching pennies; investigators detailed how Felder used pilfered Visa, MasterCard, and American Express cards to fund stays at the Fairmont Hotel, Hotel Nikko, Hilton Union Square, Grand Hyatt, and Hotel Metropolis. He wasn’t just booking rooms, either. Felder also used the fraudulent cards to finance first-class flights to Maui on United Airlines and to rent high-end SUVs from Enterprise and Hertz.
Felder’s initial downfall came on October 30, 2014, when he was caught presenting a counterfeit credit card at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Placer County. However, the wheels of justice turned slowly. After a six-day jury trial in February 2018, Felder was convicted of access device fraud and aggravated identity theft – specifically, using information belonging to someone with the same first and last name. He was released on bond in October 2017, only to skip his sentencing hearing in April 2019, adding failure to appear and contempt of court charges to his growing legal woes.
A federal grand jury added those charges, and Felder was finally apprehended in October 2019, pleading guilty to the failure to appear and contempt charges in June 2020. The 100-month sentence is a composite of 66 months for the original access device fraud convictions, 10 months for dodging his sentencing, and a mandatory 24 months tacked on for the aggravated identity theft. Judge Chesney also ordered Felder to serve a three-year supervised release and pay restitution exceeding $60,000 to his numerous victims.
The investigation, led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Secret Service, demonstrated a concerted effort to bring Felder to justice. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle F. Waldinger, Katherine M. Lloyd-Lovett, Noah Stern, and Molly Smolen, with assistance from Kathy Tat, successfully prosecuted the case, securing a significant penalty for the serial fraudster. Felder is currently in custody and will begin serving his lengthy sentence immediately.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California warns that identity theft and credit card fraud remain serious threats, and that those who engage in such crimes will face aggressive prosecution and substantial penalties. This case serves as a stark reminder that even a protracted evasion of justice will ultimately be met with consequences.
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Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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