Aaron Laws, Identity Theft, Washington 2023

Aaron Laws, 33, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to 3 years in prison for his role in a sophisticated identity theft scheme that netted him over $500,000.

Laws, who traveled through several states including Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Arizona, Georgia, and Minnesota, used stolen credit card information to make fraudulent purchases of luxury goods and items that could be sold for cash or bitcoin.

According to records filed in the case, Laws purchased credit card information from so-called 'carding websites' on the dark web. The information was loaded onto digital wallets on prepaid phones and was quickly used for fraudulent purchases of electronics, jewelry, and other items.

Laws used the stolen credit card information to purchase a Rolex for more than $34,000. He also purchased diamond jewelry, including a diamond-encrusted pendant in the shape of a bitcoin symbol.

Laws also purchased at least $166,000 in bitcoin during the time period from February 2017 until November 2017, buying the bulk of this bitcoin—$93,000—in a single day, on August 23, 2017.

Despite being arrested in October 2017, Laws continued his fraud spree, even after being sentenced to serve jail time on the weekends in Georgia.

Laws pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft on January 31, 2020. Following his prison term, Laws will be on supervised release for 5 years and was ordered to pay $623,554 in restitution.

The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Kirkland Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Marie Dalton prosecuted the case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/identity-thief-who-used-bitcoin-burner-phones-and-digital-wallets-steal-more-500000