Gary Peck, Credit Card Fraud, Oregon 2020

PORTLAND, Ore.—A 44-year-old man from Clark County, Washington, has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for his role in a credit card fraud ring that operated in the greater Portland metropolitan area from February 2017 to February 2018.

Gary Peck was sentenced on Monday, March 2, 2020, by a federal judge in Portland. He was also given 3 years' supervised release after serving his prison term.

Peck was one of the ten defendants sentenced for crimes associated with the scheme. The scheme's leader and organizer, Jonathan Dominic Coons, 41, of Vancouver, Washington, was sentenced on January 25, 2019, to 75 months in federal prison and three years' supervised release.

According to court documents, to facilitate the scheme, Coons, Peck, and their co-conspirators manufactured more than 1,100 counterfeit credit and debit cards and used them throughout Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. To create the counterfeit cards, the group embossed stolen credit card and other identifying information on gift cards purchased or stolen from local stores.

The majority of stolen information used by the group belonged to individuals residing in Canada and Australia. The group used the counterfeit credit and debit cards to purchase various items including hotels, rental cars, and merchandise they would in turn sell online or trade for illegal narcotics.

Peck and his co-defendant Dawn Szabo, 42, also of Clark County, had extensive involvement in the scheme and participated in many of the group's 'shopping' trips. Their residence was used as a flophouse where the co-conspirators planned the scheme, manufactured the counterfeit cards, and used drugs.

Other defendants sentenced in the case include:

Jonathan Dominic Coons—75 months in prison and three years' supervised release

Mikayla Brewington, 26, of Clark County—54 months in prison and three years' supervised release

Samantha Rudd, 25, of Multnomah County, Oregon—54 months in prison and three years' supervised release

Dawn Szabo—52 months in prison and three years' supervised release

Bryce Sfetku, 30, of Clark County—48 months in prison and three years' supervised release

Sarah Epley, 42, of Multnomah County—36 months in prison and three years' supervised release

Courtney Foster, 36, of Multnomah County—36 months in prison and three years' supervised release

Gary Peck—36 months in prison and 3 years' supervised release

Kevin Leighty, 36, of Multnomah County—30 months in prison and three years' supervised release

Kimberly Patterson, 33, of Multnomah County—24 months in prison and three years' supervised release

This case was investigated by the Vancouver Police Department with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and prosecuted by Rachel K. Sowray and Scott E. Bradford, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

If you or someone you know believes you have been the victim of an identity theft crime, please contact HSI at (866) 347-2423. You can also submit a tip online by visiting: www.ice.gov/webform/hsi-tip-form

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/final-defendant-sentenced-federal-prison-role-interstate-identity-theft-scheme