A follow-up to a case reported previously on this blog:
Jenaro Blalock, 31, of Clinton, Md., was sentenced today to 12 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. Blalock also was ordered to pay full restitution to the victims.
Blalock pleaded guilty on Oct. 29, 2013.
According to court documents, between June 2011 and July 2013, Blalock and co-leader Christopher Bush recruited women with access to identity information through their employers to steal more than 600 identities, primarily belonging to employees of the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Blalock provided blank driver’s licenses so that Bush could make fraudulent driver’s licenses bearing the victims’ real names, addresses and dates of birth. Blalock also made fraudulent credit cards bearing victims’ names. Members of the identity theft ring, including Blalock, used those fraudulent driver’s licenses and victims’ social security numbers to open instant credit lines at retailers and obtain rental cars, which were frequently sold on the black market with altered vehicle identification numbers. The identity theft ring caused victim losses of between $1 million and $2.5 million.
On Jan. 17, 2014, co-leader Bush was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
SOURCE: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Virginia