KANSAS CITY, KAN. – An Olathe man was sentenced Tuesday to three years in federal prison for computer fraud, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
Ryan Cauble, 41, Olathe, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of computer fraud. In his plea, he admitted he committed the crime while he worked for G.E. Consumer Finance, a saving and loan holding company with an office in Merriam, Kan. Cauble sent an email to a vice president of the company claiming there was a security breach and credit card numbers of the company’s customers had been compromised. The email – sent from an address of [email protected] – included 20 credit card numbers. The email stated, “If you want to identify the person who is responsible, message me immediately to discuss compensation for the information.”
A review of the 20 account numbers confirmed that there were fraudulent ATM transactions on those accounts in New York and California. Cauble used various employee credentials to login to the company’s databases and transfer account numbers and information including customers’ names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers in exchange for Bitcoins. He told investigators he sold the account numbers in batches of 40 for $1,000. He said that over time he sold 250 to 300 account numbers.
Grissom commended the U.S. Secret Service and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble for their work on the case.
SOURCE: U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Kansas