Yvener Jean-Baptiste, Credit Card Fraud, Rhode Island 2013

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A New York resident was caught in a brazen gift card scam that netted him $172,661.09 in stolen cash. Yvener Jean-Baptiste, 27, of Brooklyn, N.Y., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence on Monday to using counterfeit credit cards with account numbers belonging to actual credit card owners to purchase gift cards at Target and Wal-Mart stores in Rhode Island.

The scheme, which was carried out on five occasions between November 1 and November 30, 2013, saw Jean-Baptiste and his accomplices use counterfeit credit cards with actual account numbers belonging to other individuals to purchase gift cards totaling $172,661.09 at Target stores in Lincoln, the Warwick Mall, and on Bald Hill Road, and at a Wal-Mart store in Warwick.

According to information presented to the court, Jean-Baptiste provided the purchased gift cards to an individual in New York, and he typically received $200 for every $800 fraudulent transaction he conducted. The investigation revealed that the gift cards were redeemed at stores in New York the same day or the day after being purchased in Rhode Island.

On one occasion, Jean-Baptiste returned to the Target store in Lincoln on November 30, 2013, one day after he and another person purchased $75,894.01 worth of Target gift cards using six counterfeit credit cards. He was caught after driving a vehicle that had been previously identified by a Target employee as being driven by the individuals who committed credit card fraud the previous day. Jean-Baptiste was arrested after Lincoln Police discovered ten counterfeit credit cards, a counterfeit driver’s license, and multiple Target gift cards inside the vehicle.

Jean-Baptiste pleaded guilty to one count each of credit card fraud and aggravated identity theft. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 5, 2014, and faces statutory penalties of a mandatory minimum of two years and up to 12 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss resulting from the crimes.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee H. Vilker. The investigation was led by the U.S. Secret Service and the Lincoln Police Department.

The brazen scheme is a stark reminder of the ongoing threat of financial crimes in our communities. It is up to us to stay vigilant and protect ourselves from these types of scams.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work tirelessly to bring those responsible for these crimes to justice. We urge anyone with information about this case to come forward and assist in our investigation.

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