California Man Gets 13 Months for Credit Card Fraud

A California man is headed to prison after using counterfeit credit cards to make purchases in Maine.

Jervis A. Hillaire, 25, of Menifee, California, was sentenced in U.S. District Court by Judge D. Brock Hornby to 13 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit access device fraud.

He was also ordered to pay $17,987.56 in restitution. Hillaire pleaded guilty on January 29, 2015.

According to court documents, on about September 4, 2013, Hillaire, Gyadeen Ramdihall and a third person travelled from New York to Maine with 38 credit, debit and gift cards that were counterfeit or fraudulently altered.

In Maine, the three individuals used cards to purchase gift cards and electronic devices from vendors including, among others, Best Buy, Apple, Target and Walmart.

On October 10, 2013, an Ohio State Trooper stopped Ramdihall for speeding. Hillaire was his passenger. A total of 17 fraudulent access device cards in Hillaire’s name were found in the trunk of the vehicle under the spare tire.

In pronouncing sentence, Judge Hornby observed that Mr. Hillaire was a smart and capable person, but that he was messing up his life. He urged Hillaire to use this experience as a life changer, but said that the sentence was necessary to send a message to the public and to the defendant that this kind of activity will not be tolerated.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Secret Service, the Kittery and Biddeford Police Departments and the Ohio State Police.

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