Luis Ramirez, Access Device Fraud, Arizona 2024

In a shocking case of financial deception, Luis Ramirez, a 42-year-old resident of Mesa, Arizona, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud in a San Diego federal court.

According to court documents, Ramirez helped obtain 'leads' for fraudsters who sought to steal money from the bank accounts of unsuspecting U.S. victims. These 'leads' consisted of financial information, including bank account numbers, for prospective victims. Ramirez and his coconspirators used these 'leads' to steal millions from unsuspecting Americans.

The scheme, which originated from payday loan applications across the United States, resulted in a staggering loss of over $1.5 million. Ramirez's guilty plea admitted that this amount was reasonably foreseeable to him.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton emphasized the severity of the crime, stating, 'Those who knowingly supply fraudsters with personal and financial information about potential victims cause enormous harm to the American public.'

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) played a crucial role in uncovering the scheme. Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the USPIS's Criminal Investigations Group praised the efforts of postal inspectors, saying, 'In this case, small transactions were used to conceal the scheme, but that wasn't enough to fool postal inspectors or keep us from adding it all together to put a halt to this fraud.'

Ramirez faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 11, 2024. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This is not the first case related to the scheme. Other participants have been charged in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. In May, a grand jury in Los Angeles returned an indictment charging 14 defendants with RICO conspiracy and other charges. Another scheme participant, Harold Sobel, pleaded guilty to bank fraud conspiracy in federal court in Las Vegas and was sentenced to 42 months in prison.

The USPIS is investigating the case, and the U.S. Attorneys' Offices for the Central and Southern Districts of California are assisting in the prosecution.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/arizona-man-pleads-guilty-role-scheme-steal-money-us-bank-accounts