Pineville Man Gets 51 Months for $250K Credit Card Scam

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charles Vincent Brown, 36, of Pineville, North Carolina, is headed to federal prison after being sentenced to 51 months for a brazen credit card fraud scheme. U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. handed down the sentence today, along with an order for Brown to serve two years of supervised release and pay a hefty $237,141.41 in restitution.

The bust, announced by U.S. Attorney Andrew Murray for the Western District of North Carolina, alongside Reginald A. DeMatteis, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Charlotte Field Office, reveals a sophisticated operation that drained over $250,000 from a single victim. Brown pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud last November, while his accomplice, Robert Nathaniel Johnson III, was convicted by a federal jury in July 2020 on similar charges.

Court documents paint a picture of a calculated scheme spanning from September 29, 2018, to October 20, 2018. Brown and Johnson, along with unnamed co-conspirators, pilfered a credit card number belonging to a victim with a $300,000 credit limit. They didn’t waste time. The stolen number was used to manufacture counterfeit cards, plastered with the defendants’ names and those of their crew, and deployed across multiple retail giants – Best Buy, Foot Action, Foot Locker, and even Neiman Marcus.

The Secret Service wasn’t fooled. Agents raided Brown’s apartment and uncovered a staggering haul: over 560 pairs of high-end sneakers and other footwear, a mountain of electronics, clothing, gaming equipment, and a trove of other fraudulently purchased goods. But the shopping spree wasn’t the extent of it. Agents also seized the tools of the trade – computers, an embosser, a laminator – everything needed to churn out fake cards and bogus identification. A deep dive into Brown’s cell phones revealed text messages offering guidance on acquiring stolen credit card info, screenshots of dark web searches, and receipts for dozens of purchased stolen numbers.

Brown is currently in federal custody awaiting transport. Sentencing for Robert Nathaniel Johnson III remains unscheduled. U.S. Attorney Murray commended the Secret Service for their diligent investigation, a clear message that these types of schemes won’t be tolerated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley, of the Charlotte office, prosecuted the case.

This case serves as a stark reminder of the ever-present threat of credit card fraud and the lengths criminals will go to exploit vulnerabilities in the financial system. The sheer volume of goods seized from Brown’s apartment underscores the scale of the damage inflicted on the victim and the importance of robust fraud prevention measures.