Related Federal Cases
- Credit Card Fraud Ring Busted in Buffalo · Pennsylvania
- Theresa A. Freeman Sentenced in $43K Unemployment Fraud Scheme · Pennsylvania
- NY Duo Sentenced in $179K Credit Card Scam · Pennsylvania
- Lessie Dickerson Pleads Guilty in $2M Home-Improvement Fraud Scheme · Pennsylvania
- Queens Thug Sentenced for Big-Time Credit Card Fraud · Pennsylvania
Six Men Charged in $150,000 Credit Card Fraud Scheme
In a brazen scheme, six men allegedly used stolen bank account information to purchase over $150,000 worth of American Express, Visa, and MasterCard gift cards, according to Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.
The six defendants, ERIC ROBINSON, ELDRIDGE MITCHELL, JHAYMES BETHEL BROWN, JR., CRAIG SMITH, AKIL CHRISTOPHER, and KORDELL NESBITT, were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, each carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
According to the Complaint unsealed in Manhattan federal court, the defendants purchased gift cards using fraudulent credit cards, which were intentionally encoded with stolen bank account information. The victims whose bank account information had been stolen were left paying for the gift cards, unbeknownst to them.
The scheme, which occurred from May 2015 until August 2015, targeted post offices throughout New York, as well as in Connecticut and Pennsylvania. The defendants went to various post offices, purchasing American Express, Visa, and MasterCard gift cards using the fraudulent credit cards.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara praised the efforts of the USPIS, saying, “When the defendants used their ill-gotten gains for the finer things in life, they miscalculated the true cost of their crimes: being arrested.”
TWO of the defendants, ROBINSON, MITCHELL, BROWN, JR., and NESBITT, were arrested today in the New York City metro area, while SMITH and CHRISTOPHER remain at large.
If you believe you were a victim of this crime, including a victim entitled to restitution, and you wish to provide information to law enforcement and/or receive notice of future developments in the case or additional information, please contact the Victim/Witness Unit at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, at (866) 874-8900.
The investigation is ongoing, with Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew J. Laroche and Michael D. Neff in charge of the prosecution. The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
U.S. based merchants are quickly transitioning to EMV Chip-Pin point of sale terminals, eventually making these low level credit card fraud schemes a thing of the past, said USPIS Inspector-in-Charge Philip R. Bartlett.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News