Lisa Reid, 47, of Amityville, New York, was sentenced today to 90 months in federal prison for orchestrating a ruthless identity theft and credit card fraud scheme that preyed on more than 50 victims, most of them senior citizens. U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea handed down the sentence in Hartford, Connecticut, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered Reid to pay $1,009,235.69 in restitution.
Between February 2015 and January 2017, Reid weaponized publicly available data to target individuals in affluent areas, cold-calling them while impersonating credit card company representatives. She tricked victims into surrendering sensitive account details, including card numbers and passwords. Then, posing as the victim, she contacted the credit card issuer, added new phone numbers and fake addresses—often abandoned properties near her Long Island home—and seized control of the accounts.
With full access to compromised cards, Reid flooded high-end retailers with fraudulent orders—designer goods, luxury electronics, and more—all shipped to her chosen drop points. She used accomplices, known as “runners,” to retrieve the goods before fencing them at pawnshops or selling them off the books. The fraud ring successfully stole over $1 million in merchandise, while financial institutions blocked an additional $3.8 million in attempted charges.
The scheme unraveled on December 20, 2016, when federal agents raided Reid’s residence, only to find she’d already fled—this time to Florida. Authorities later discovered she used a stolen account to purchase a $50,500 Cartier watch while on the run. Reid remained at large until her arrest on February 5, 2017, and has been in custody ever since.
Reid pleaded guilty on November 7, 2017, to one count of mail fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Her criminal record runs deep: in October 2010, she was convicted in the Eastern District of Kentucky on federal bank fraud and identity theft charges tied to a nearly identical $1 million scam. She served 27 months and was still under supervised release when she launched her latest fraud spree—putting her at risk of additional federal penalties from Kentucky authorities.
The investigation was a coordinated takedown by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Greenwich Police Department, and the Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force, which includes the U.S. Secret Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, Connecticut State Police, and local departments from Shelton, Stamford, Hartford, and Norwalk. The U.S. Marshals Service provided critical support in tracking Reid. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Pierpont, Jr. prosecuted the case. The Justice Department urges seniors affected by financial fraud to contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline for immediate assistance.
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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