William Dodge, Identity Theft, Massachusetts 2012

BOSTON, MA – In a shocking case of identity theft, a Peabody man was sentenced to seven years in prison for heading an identity theft ring that caused $375,000 in credit card losses at large retail stores.

On May 10, William Dodge, 46, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph L. Tauro to seven years in prison, three years of supervised release, $375,000 in restitution, and forfeiture of criminal proceeds. He had pleaded guilty to credit card fraud, conspiracy to commit credit card fraud and aggravated identity theft.

The scheme, which took place in 2012, involved Dodge obtaining lists of coworkers' identity information, including names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers, from a benefits administrator at a Florida-based company. He then traveled to Boston where he and at least five co-conspirators obtained false identity cards bearing Dodge’s or the co-conspirators’ pictures and the Florida company employees’ personal information.

The false identity cards looked like Massachusetts drivers’ licenses and allowed the co-conspirators to pose as the employees from the Florida company. With these cards, they were able to purchase merchandise and services from large chain retail stores, resulting in over $375,000 in losses.

Dodge directed his co-conspirators’ actions and took about 50% of their profits. He personally posed as an identity theft victim for over $212,000 of the losses.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office thanks the Florida company for cooperating during the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott L. Garland.

The case highlights the importance of protecting personal information and being cautious when sharing sensitive data. It also underscores the severity of the penalties for those who engage in identity theft and related crimes.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/peabody-man-sentenced-seven-years-heading-identity-theft-ring