Aaron Laws, a 33-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia, has been sentenced to 3 years in prison for his role in a sophisticated identity theft scheme that netted him over $500,000.
Laws, who traveled the country using fraud to buy luxury goods and items he could convert to cash and bitcoin, was found guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft. He was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Seattle, Washington.
Between February 2017 and December 2018, Laws used stolen credit card information to make fraudulent purchases of electronics, jewelry, and other items that could be sold for cash or bitcoin. He purchased a Rolex for more than $34,000 and diamond jewelry, including a diamond-encrusted pendant in the shape of a bitcoin symbol.
Laws also purchased at least $166,000 in bitcoin during the time period from February 2017 until November 2017, buying the bulk of this bitcoin—$93,000—in a single day, on August 23, 2017.
Despite being arrested in October 2017 and sentenced to serve jail time on the weekends in Georgia, Laws continued his fraud spree. He was eventually caught and pleaded guilty to the charges on January 31, 2020. He was ordered to pay $623,554 in restitution.
U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik described Laws’ scheme as ‘very complicated’ and said that nothing seemed to deter him. ‘Motivated by greed, this defendant attempted to use digital advances to hide his old-fashioned fraud,’ said Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Kirkland Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Marie Dalton.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Cybercrime|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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