Vuthiya Tim, Credit Card Fraud and Identity Theft, California 2016

Stockton Man Pleads Guilty in Credit Card Fraud and Identity Theft Scheme

A man from Stockton, California, has pleaded guilty to his involvement in a large-scale credit card fraud and identity theft scheme.

According to court documents, Vuthiya Tim, 31, of Stockton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit credit card fraud and theft of mail matter on September 29, 2016.

Between March 2014 and September 2015, Tim and eight co-conspirators obtained personal information from victims and used that information to create unauthorized Target credit or debit accounts, called REDcards. They used the Target REDcard account numbers to buy large amounts of electronics, prepaid gift cards, and other goods at Target locations throughout the Sacramento area, Northern California, and elsewhere.

In all, more than 300 counterfeit and unauthorized access devices were possessed, used, produced, or trafficked by members of the conspiracy, and over 1,000 victims have been identified to date as having had their identities compromised as a result of the conspiracy.

Tim also pleaded guilty to stealing mail on April 11, 2013, from the post office in Clements, which is in San Joaquin County.

Tim faces maximum penalties of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on both counts. The actual sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

Tim is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley on December 15, 2016.

This case is the product of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Stockton Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys André M. Espinosa and Rosanne L. Rust are prosecuting the case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/pr/stockton-man-pleads-guilty-credit-card-fraud-and-identity-theft-scheme