This week, a federal grand jury in Sacramento returned a 13-count indictment charging Jonah Hanneke Nelson, 30, of Dixon, with bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud, counterfeiting securities, and possession of more than 15 access devices.
According to Assistant United States Attorney Russell L. Carlberg, the indictment alleges that Nelson obtained bank account numbers and personal identification information of customers of Wells Fargo and other banks, and that he opened bank accounts and credit accounts in the names of the victims. At the time of his arrest by Solano County authorities, he possessed more than 15 access devices and the names and account information of more than 500 Wells Fargo Bank customers.
On July 2, 2009, U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly J. Mueller ordered Nelson detained as a flight risk pending trial.
The maximum statutory penalty for a violation of bank fraud is 30 years in prison, a $1,000,000 fine, and a five year period of supervised release. The minimum statutory penalty for aggravated identity theft is two years on top of any other sentence. The other charges carry 10 year maximum penalties. However, the actual sentence will be dictated by the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of factors, and will be imposed at the discretion of the court.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of California