Keith JD Offord, Aggravated ID Theft, Illinois 2017

A Carpentersville man is accused of using others’ identities to create fraudulent credit accounts, resulting in a loss of over $500,000.

Keith JD Offord, 23, was indicted on fraud charges for his alleged role in a credit scheme that spanned from December 2013 to August 2015. According to the indictment, Offord created false identification documents using others’ personal identifying information and added photographs of a co-schemer to the fraudulent IDs.

Offord allegedly took the co-schemer to various retail businesses where he instructed the individual to obtain a credit account and credit card, and to use the credit to purchase merchandise and gift cards. The indictment alleges that Offord and his co-schemers conducted more than 260 fraudulent transactions, resulting in a loss of over $500,000 for banks.

The charges against Offord include aggravated identity theft, possession of 15 or more counterfeit credit cards, and four counts of aggravated identity theft related to his alleged use of another person’s identifying information.

Offord made his initial appearance in federal court on February 16, 2017, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tom Schanzle-Haskins. A detention hearing for Offord is scheduled on February 17, 2017, and trial has been set for April 4, 2017, before U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough.

If convicted, the maximum statutory penalty for each offense charged is up to 30 years in prison for bank fraud, up to 10 years in prison for access device fraud, and a mandatory two-year prison term for each count of aggravated identity theft. The charges are the result of an investigation by the Illinois State Police.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory M. Gilmore is prosecuting the case. Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

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