This post includes two cases out of the Southern District of Florida, a hotbed for identity theft.
Aug. 19 – A North Miami resident pled guilty to possessing 2,875 stolen identities.
Camelin Junior Desrosiers, 28, pled guilty to one count of possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(a)(3), and one count of aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A(a)(1). Sentencing is scheduled for October 25, 2016 before U.S. District Court Judge Darrin P. Gayles. At sentencing, Desrosiers faces a statutory maximum of ten years’ imprisonment for the access device charge, and a mandatory term of two years’ imprisonment, consecutive to any other prison term, for the aggravated identity theft charge.
According to court documents, on February 25, 2015, law enforcement initiated a traffic stop on a rental car leased by Desrosiers. The defendant, the driver, and a passenger were ordered to exit the vehicle. Because the vehicle contained after-market tinted windows, and because the tinted windows violated the rental car contract, law enforcement initiated a tow of the vehicle to return it to the rental car company.
An inventory search of the car was conducted prior to it being towed. In the trunk of the car, law enforcement found a laptop computer owned by Desrosiers. A forensic analysis of the computer revealed 2,875 pieces of personal identifying information (PII), including names, dates of birth and social security numbers.
Law enforcement spoke with one individual whose name, date of birth, and social security number were in the computer, and confirmed that he/she did not authorize Desrosiers to be in possession of the PII. Desrosiers knew that the names, dates of birth, and social security numbers belonged to real persons.
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Aug. 18 – A North Miami Beach resident pled guilty to possessing 225 stolen identities.
Vicky Egalite Pierre, pled guilty to one count of possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(a)(3), and one count of aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A(a)(1). Sentencing is scheduled for November 3, 2016 before U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen M. Williams. At sentencing, Pierre faces a maximum of ten years’ imprisonment for the access device charge, and a mandatory term of two years’ imprisonment, consecutive to any other prison term, for the aggravated identity theft charge.
According to court documents, during a probation compliance check of Pierre’s residence, law enforcement located a small notebook in her night stand that contained over 225 names, social security numbers and date of births. The notebook containing the personal identifying information was processed for latent prints, and six latent prints from various pages in the notebook belonged to the defendant.
Law enforcement spoke with one individual whose name, date of birth, and social security number were in the notebook, and confirmed that he/she did not authorize Pierre to be in possession of the personal identifying information. The defendant knew that the names, dates of birth, and social security numbers belonged to real persons.
The intended loss in this case is more than $95,000 but less than $150,000.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
SOURCE: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Floria