NEW ORLEANS – Jeffery Joseph, 26, of New Orleans, is headed to federal prison for six years after being sentenced on February 18, 2021, for his part in a sophisticated credit card fraud ring that stretched across multiple states. U.S. District Judge Barry W. Ashe handed down the 74-month sentence, making Joseph the fourth member of the seven-defendant conspiracy to receive punishment.
The U.S. Secret Service investigation revealed Joseph and his crew weren’t just making small purchases. They obtained stolen credit and debit card information, meticulously encoded it onto counterfeit cards, and then hit stores for merchandise and cash. But the scheme didn’t stop there. They’d return the fraudulently purchased items to different locations of the same chain, manipulating store employees to receive cash back onto their own accounts – a classic chargeback scam, elevated by their interstate operation.
Joseph wasn’t confined to Louisiana. Court documents show he and his co-conspirators hopped flights to cities including St. Louis, Missouri; Richmond, Virginia; Nashville, Tennessee; Portland, Oregon; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Cincinnati, Ohio, carrying out the fraud across a wide geographic area. He was even arrested *while* committing the crime in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and Franklin, Tennessee, proving their brazen disregard for the law. The total losses attributed to the group, and specifically to Joseph’s actions, range from $250,000.00 to $550,000.00.
Federal investigators didn’t need to rely solely on witness testimony. Joseph, it seems, bragged about his criminal lifestyle on social media. An Instagram post from July 2018, showing him lounging on the hood of a Mercedes, boldly proclaimed, “I’m living proof that crime do pay.” Just six days after two of his accomplices were arrested in September 2018, he posted another image from Atlanta with the caption, “only ducking indictments,” a clear indication he was aware of the risks and continued to operate anyway.
Judge Ashe’s sentencing breaks down as follows: 50 months for conspiracy to commit access device fraud, with 3 years of supervised release; another 50 months for possession of device-making equipment, also with 3 years of supervised release – these to run concurrently. On top of that, a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence was added for aggravated identity theft, alongside another year of supervised release. The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated that the sentence reflects the severity of the crimes and the impact on victims.
“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that individuals like Mr. Joseph who engage in fraudulent schemes of theft and deception that impact innocent victims and businesses within our community will be held accountable,” stated Leslie Pichon, U.S. Secret Service New Orleans Special Agent in Charge. The case was a coordinated effort involving the U.S. Secret Service’s Louisiana Cyber Fraud Task Force, alongside local law enforcement in Franklin, TN, Mobile, AL, Gulfport, MS, and Minnetonka, MN, as well as the district attorneys of Jefferson and Orleans Parishes. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew R. Payne and K. Paige O’Hale led the prosecution.
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Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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