Allise Jones, 29, of Lanham, Maryland, was found guilty today by a federal jury in Alexandria, Virginia, on charges tied to a sprawling identity theft ring that exploited personal data from thousands of Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees. Jones was convicted on six counts: conspiracy to commit identity theft, conspiracy to commit access device fraud, two counts of access device fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
Court records and trial evidence revealed Jones conspired with others from October 2012 to April 2014 to steal personally identifiable information (PII) belonging to more than 2,000 Freddie Mac employees and affiliates and over 100 VA staff members. Armed with Social Security numbers, birth dates, and employment records, the crew fabricated identification documents and opened fraudulent credit accounts. Financial institutions, retailers, and credit agencies were systematically duped as a result.
Jones personally used stolen identities to obtain credit cards and fund a lavish lifestyle—charging plastic surgery, luxury jewelry, and high-end travel. The scheme exposed gaping vulnerabilities in how federal contractors and agencies safeguard employee data, turning sensitive government-adjacent information into currency on the underground fraud market. Investigators say the breach originated through unauthorized access to internal HR and payroll systems.
At sentencing, scheduled for May 19, 2017, before U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady, Jones faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for each access device fraud count, 5 years for each conspiracy charge, and a mandatory minimum of 2 years for each aggravated identity theft count—stacking potential penalties well beyond two decades behind bars. While Congress sets statutory maximums, the final sentence will be determined by the court using advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsay Castanien and Charlie Divine, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Fahey. The investigation was jointly led by the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General (FHFA OIG), under Laura S. Wertheimer, and the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, led by Michael J. Missal. U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente announced the verdict following the jury’s decision.
Court documents and related filings are available through the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and PACER under Case No. 1:16-cr-282. A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office is posted on its official website, detailing the scope of the breach and the government’s multi-year investigation into the conspiracy.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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