Haben Sebhatu Sentenced to ID Theft and Credit Card Fraud, Seattle …

Haben Sebhatu of Seattle, Washington, is going to federal prison for 63 months after being caught running high-tech credit card fraud rings across multiple states. The 34-year-old was sentenced today in St. Louis, Missouri, following his guilty plea to a stack of felony charges tied to stolen identities and counterfeit financial instruments.

Sebhatu’s criminal run came to a screeching halt on March 25, 2016, when Ladue Police pulled him over for a routine traffic stop. What began as a minor violation exploded into a federal investigation when officers discovered an arsenal of fraud tools inside his vehicle—dozens of counterfeit credit cards and a fully operational card encoding machine capable of cloning stolen data.

The operation spanned state lines, with Sebhatu funneling fraudulent transactions through Missouri, Washington, Indiana, and Arkansas. Authorities say he wasn’t working alone—law enforcement disrupted two interconnected fraud rings that relied on stolen personal information to fabricate usable credit cards and drain financial accounts.

In July, Sebhatu admitted his guilt, pleading to one count of credit card fraud, one count of possessing device-making equipment, and nine separate counts of aggravated identity theft. Each count represents multiple victims whose lives were upended by financial impersonation and the ripple effects of digital theft.

U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig handed down the 63-month sentence today, citing the sophistication and interstate reach of the scheme. Assistant United States Attorney Tom Albus, who prosecuted the case, called it a textbook example of organized financial crime exploiting gaps in consumer security.

The investigation was a joint effort between the Ladue Police Department, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in Washington. With fraud rings increasingly relying on portable tech to commit crimes on the move, authorities say cases like Sebhatu’s are a growing priority in the federal crackdown on identity theft.