CAMDEN, N.J. – In a shocking case of identity theft, a Burlington County man has admitted his role in a conspiracy to steal bank customer identities and then use that information to steal over $520,000. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced the guilty plea of Jamere Hill-Birdsong, 33, of Mount Holly, New Jersey.
Hill-Birdsong pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb to an indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit bank fraud. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Hill-Birdsong conspired with Lamar Melhado, of the Bronx, New York, and others to defraud a Mount Laurel, New Jersey, bank.
From August 2016 through August 2017, Hill-Birdsong worked inside the call center and recruited other call center employees to participate in the scheme by stealing the identities and account information of customers who called into the bank’s call center. The conspirator bank employees would then take photographs or screenshots of the bank customer’s account information and signatures and would send that information to Hill-Birdsong and Melhado.
The conspirators then had phony identification documents made in the names of the bank customers, and used various runners to go into bank branches and make unauthorized cash withdrawals. The conspirators also used the stolen identity information to conduct unauthorized online transfers of moneys from the customer’s accounts.
The conspiracy to commit bank fraud charge to which Hill-Birdsong pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. In his plea agreement, Hill-Birdsong agreed to make restitution for the full amount of the loss, which is estimated at $523,000.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited agents of the FBI’s South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire in Philadelphia, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana Vondra Carrig of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
Melhado previously pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and was sentenced in March 2022 to four years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for March 7, 2023, for Hill-Birdsong.
Defendant’s Information:
Defendant’s Name: Jamere Hill-Birdsong
Crime: Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
City and State: Mount Holly, New Jersey
Crime Date: August 2016 through August 2017
Sentence: 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense
Amount of Loss: $523,000
Sentencing Date: March 7, 2023
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Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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