Steven Riley, Fraud Scheme, Maryland 2023

Booster Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison for Fraud Scheme

A Baltimore man has been sentenced to two years in prison for his role in a fraud scheme that stole merchandise from retail stores and exchanged the stolen items for gift cards.

Steven Riley, 50, of Baltimore, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge George L. Russell III on March 28, 2023 to two years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering. Judge Russell also entered an order requiring Riley to pay restitution of $400,000.

According to his plea agreement, from January 2009 to February 2013, Riley, along with Melissa Perry, Deanna Lynch, Mohamed Al-Omeri, Mark Brunelle, and others, were “boosters.” A “booster” is a person who steals for a living, then sells the stolen items to someone else, usually for a discounted price.

Riley and the other boosters stole merchandise from large retail stores throughout Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Prince George’s, Howard and Harford Counties in Maryland, as well as Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Riley and the other boosters then returned the stolen items in exchange for store gift cards. They used modified Maryland driver’s licenses that contained the personal identifier information of actual persons, without those persons’ knowledge, when returning the stolen items without a receipt.

The actual loss to retailers in Maryland caused by the scheme is at least $401,326.12.

John Tadros, age 45, of Baltimore, Melissa Perry, age 34; Deanna Lynch, age 44; Mohamed Al-Omeri, age 39; and Mark Brunelle, age 47, previously pleaded guilty to their participation in the scheme. Tadros was sentenced to 58 months in prison and ordered to pay $400,000 in restitution. Brunelle was sentenced to 51 months in prison and ordered to pay over $210,000 in restitution. Perry and Lynch were sentenced to 30 months and 18 months in prison, respectively, and were ordered to pay restitution of $401,326.12. Al-Omeri was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay restitution of $35,000.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/booster-sentenced-two-years-prison-fraud-scheme