NEW HAVEN, CT – Steven A. Finkler, 56, a career criminal with a four-decade rap sheet, will spend the next eight years behind bars after being sentenced for a sophisticated scheme involving stolen credit cards and identity theft. U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill handed down the 96-month sentence, followed by three years of supervised release, in a virtual hearing conducted under the provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
The crimes spanned from August 2017 to May 2019. Finkler initially pilfered credit cards from customers of his employer, racking up over $20,867.73 in fraudulent charges on jewelry, Apple products, and other high-end goods – treating his girlfriend and friends to lavish gifts at the expense of his victims. But this was just the opening act.
In September 2018, Finkler upped the ante, assuming the identity of another individual to join a fitness center with multiple locations throughout Connecticut. This provided him access to a new hunting ground. He then used that stolen identity to set up mobile payment apps, enabling a more expansive and brazen scheme. Over the next eight months, Finkler systematically stole credit cards from gym lockers while victims were occupied elsewhere, amassing a staggering $144,000 in fraudulent charges to accounts he controlled. The kicker? He’d slip the cards back into wallets *before* victims returned, hoping to delay discovery.
Approximately 50 individuals fell victim to Finkler’s calculated gym-based fraud. Investigators say he was meticulous, creating layers of false accounts and exploiting the trust inherent in a fitness environment. The U.S. Secret Service, leading the investigation alongside the Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force and multiple local police departments (Wallingford, Avon, North Haven, Madison, Glastonbury, and Branford), eventually caught up with him. He has been detained since his arrest on August 15, 2019.
Finkler pleaded guilty in January 2020 to one count of access device fraud (credit card fraud), one count of wire fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Judge Underhill didn’t just impose a prison sentence; he also ordered Finkler to pay restitution totaling $145,657.06. This isn’t Finkler’s first rodeo. Court records reveal a criminal history stretching back nearly 40 years, including five prior federal convictions for various fraud schemes.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarala Nagala and Margaret Donovan prosecuted the case. This conviction serves as a stark reminder that even seemingly small acts of theft can snowball into significant financial harm, and that the U.S. Secret Service, along with its partners, will relentlessly pursue those who exploit others for personal gain. Finkler’s long history of fraud suggests this eight-year sentence might not be enough to deter him from future criminal activity.
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Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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