A Miami resident has been sentenced to 38 months in prison for his participation in an identity theft scheme. Thomas Jerry III, 32, was ordered to pay $42,338.49 in restitution for his crimes.
Jerry pleaded guilty to one count of possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices and one count of aggravated identity theft. The charges were brought against him in connection with an identity theft scheme that affected over 1,000 individuals.
According to court documents, the investigation began in May 2014, when law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Jerry. During the search, two cellular telephones were found on Jerry, one of which had a call log that reflected several calls to the Capital One bank customer service line.
The other telephone contained images of the personal identification information (PII) of an identity theft victim, as well as images of the victim’s credit report. A Capital One credit card in the name of the victim was also found, and it was determined that the telephones were used to access and take over 79 Capital One accounts.
On July 24, 2014, a search warrant was executed at the Miami addresses of Jerry, and law enforcement found the PII of over 1,000 individuals, most of whom were Miami-Dade College students. Other items found included multiple H&R block debit cards, an American Express card, and a letter from Capital One containing the personal identification number (PIN) of an identity theft victim.
U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg commended the investigative efforts of the IRS-CI, FBI, ATF, the City of Aventura Police Department, and the City of Miami Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daya Nathan and Gera Peoples.
The case is a reminder of the importance of protecting one’s personal identification information and being vigilant about identity theft. Individuals who have been affected by identity theft can seek assistance from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act (ITADA).
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Cybercrime|Identity Theft
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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