Jeriel Slay, Identity Theft, New York 2019

A Brooklyn man has pleaded guilty to his role in a sophisticated identity theft scheme that swindled victims out of nearly $1 million.

Jeriel Slay, 29, of Brooklyn, New York, entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, charges that carry a maximum penalty of 22 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to court documents, Slay devised a scheme to fraudulently obtain the personal identifying information (PII) of multiple victims from the internet. He then opened Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) that were named in such a way as to indicate ownership by the victim.

For example, Slay fraudulently obtained Victim 1's PII, including name, address, birthdate, social security number, and other information, and then opened an LLC named 'Victim 1 Remodeling LLC.' He then posed as Victim 1 to open a bank account in the name of the fraudulent LLC. Slay then contacted Victim 1's legitimate financial institution and transferred money, via a wire transfer, from Victim 1's legitimate account to the fraudulent LLC bank account.

The defendant executed this scheme against more than 10 victims, one of whom resides in the Western District of New York. The total loss was $978,793.87.

Sentencing is scheduled for October 18, 2019, at 12:30 p.m. before Judge Arcara.

The case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdny/pr/brooklyn-man-pleads-guilty-his-role-identity-theft-scam