Peter Belony, Wire Fraud, Massachusetts 2019

Florida Man Sentenced for Wire Fraud in Massachusetts

A Florida man has been charged with wire fraud in Massachusetts.

Peter Belony, 34, of Margate, Fla., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal court in Boston.

Belony and his co-conspirators, Fred Alcius, Lucson Appolon, and Kevens Louis, were charged on April 9, 2019. Co-conspirators Appolon and Louis were arrested on April 16, 2019; Belony was arrested on April 26, 2019; and Alcius remains a fugitive.

The indictment alleges that the defendants accessed victims' personal identifying information, including names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and addresses, on the 'dark web.' They used this information to open credit cards in the victims' names and then subscribed to Informed Delivery using the victims' personal identifying information and a fraudulent email address. The defendants intercepted the credit cards at the victims' mailboxes before the victims could receive them and used those credit cards at ATMs and to purchase gift cards and other items.

The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud carries a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Belony is scheduled to be sentenced on September 19, 2019, in U.S. District Court.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Office; Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; the Concord, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.), Harvard, Kittery (Maine), Norfolk, Plantation (Fla.), Sherborn, and Weston Police Departments.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie A. Queenin of Lelling’s Cybercrime Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/florida-man-pleads-guilty-wire-fraud-conspiracy