Tyrelle A. Phillips, Identity Theft and Credit Card Fraud, Missouri 2014

St. Louis, MO - An Illinois man has been sentenced to 39 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution to the identified victims of a scheme that resulted in excess of $62,000 in losses in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

Tyrelle A. Phillips, of Herrin, IL, was sentenced on multiple identity theft and credit card charges after being caught attempting to purchase prepaid gift cards using counterfeit credit cards at a local Walgreens store in O'Fallon, MO on September 16, 2014.

According to court documents, Phillips was traveling from Kentucky to the St. Louis area to use counterfeit credit cards to buy gift cards. He was stopped by officers who were in the store to obtain surveillance photos of individuals who had been purchasing prepaid gift cards with counterfeit credit cards.

During a search of his vehicle, the officers found a laptop computer with a card writing machine and five fraudulently purchased gift cards valued at $500 each. Phillips explained that he used the laptop computer and a magnetic strip reader/writer device to produce the counterfeit cards.

Phillips estimated making fraudulent purchases of approximately $10,000 in several local municipalities during a trip to the St. Louis metropolitan area in August. His role was to produce counterfeit cards and use them to purchase gift cards in large denominations in exchange for 50% of the proceeds.

An inspection of his cellular telephone revealed multiple text messages received within the last two weeks containing a total of 96 account numbers. A review of his computer allowed the officers to track his travel to multiple cities in California, Oregon, Illinois, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and Oregon, between July 30, 2014 and his arrest on September 16, 2014.

Phillips appeared Monday for sentencing before United States Senior District Judge E. Richard Weber in St. Louis. This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, O'Fallon and Maryland Heights Police Departments and the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Tracy Berry handled the case for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmo/pr/illinois-man-sentenced-identity-theft-and-credit-card-fraud-charges