Halima Ouedraogo, Identity Theft Hotel Fraud, Florida 2017

Florida Woman Sentenced to 11 Years and 11 Months for Identity Theft and Hotel Fraud Scheme

Halima Ouedraogo, a 36-year-old former Broward County resident, was sentenced to 11 years and 11 months in prison for her role in a sophisticated identity theft and hotel fraud scheme.

According to court documents, Ouedraogo, who currently resides in Kirkland, Washington, systematically used other people's identities to exploit an electronic reservation and check-in system used by certain hotel chains. The scheme was uncovered in August 2015, when Ouedraogo checked into a Fort Lauderdale hotel using the credit card account number and personal information of someone who did not know her.

Ouedraogo stayed at the hotel for three weeks, accumulating a bill of over $5,000 by ordering meals, movies, and other incidentals. When the charges on the stolen credit card began to be declined, Ouedraogo left without paying and checked into another nearby hotel using another victim's information.

On August 4, 2015, Ouedraogo was arrested while in possession of over 1500 names, dates of birth, social security numbers, bank account numbers, driver's licenses, checkbooks, tax documents, bank cards, vehicle registrations, student identifications, and other personal information belonging to other people. None of the victims authorized Ouedraogo to have or use their identifications.

Ouedraogo was convicted of one count of access device fraud, one count of possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices, and ten counts of aggravated identity theft. The evidence at trial established that Ouedraogo's scheme was extensive and involved the use of multiple victims' identities to exploit the hotel's electronic system.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anne P. McNamara and Frederic Shadley. The investigative efforts of IRS-CI, USSS, and the Fort Lauderdale Police Department were commended by Acting United States Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/former-broward-county-resident-sentenced-more-11-years-prison-identity-theft-hotel