USA: New York district attorney announces charges against identity theft scheme suspects
Record ID:
572280
USA: New York district attorney announces charges against identity theft scheme suspects
- Title: USA: New York district attorney announces charges against identity theft scheme suspects
- Date: 24th February 2010
- Summary: NEW YORK CITY, UNITED STATES (FEBRUARY 23, 2010) (REUTERS) REPORTERS AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOHN T. MORTON, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY FOR U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT, SAYING: "Genuine New York driver's licenses like this one here play a critical role in our daily lives as New Yorkers and Americans. First, a driver's license creates the sense of legitimacy - an identity that comes with the full weight and authority of the state of New York. Second, a driver's license opens the door to so many facets of daily living. With a driver's license you can seek work, you can open a bank account, you can board a plane to anywhere in the U.S. " NEWS CONFERENCE IN SESSION (SOUNDBITE) (English) RAYMOND KELLY, POLICE COMMISSIONER FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK, SAYING: "It can take a hardened criminal from abroad and turn him into a bonafide citizen. It can enable a con artist to drain money from the bank accounts of innocent victims. It can allow terrorists to cross our borders and launch attacks. In this particular case it enabled drug dealers to ply their trade right here in New York. What I find particularly disturbing about this case was their willingness to sell fraudulent documents to an individual who is trying to circumvent the no-fly list and get on a commercial airliner." END OF NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 11th March 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Legal System
- Reuters ID: LVA2LNFPC3XSKHAWO5HHXRL8R7G0
- Story Text: Twenty two members of an identity fraud ring in New York have been charged with five counts of identity theft and bribery in an fraudulent operation that robbed over one million dollars from victims.
The United States Attorney charged twenty two members of a high profile identity theft ring in New York City on Tuesday (February 23) for allegedly stealing the identities of victims to get fake driver licenses and social security numbers and sell them to potentially dangerous criminals.
In a joint investigation by the Southern District New York Attorney's office, the New York Police Department, FBI, Secret Service, Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and Social Security, U.S. authorities said ring leader, Wilch Dewalt and his associates, were acquiring and selling fake New York driver licenses for up to $10,000 (USD) each to hardened criminals.
"This was no ordinary identity fraud ring and this was no nickel and dime racket. At its heart, it involved theft of the identity of innocent people for the purpose of fraudulently obtaining New York State driver's licenses for criminals directly from the Department of Motor Vehicles or DMV. They charged customers between $7,000.00 (usd) and $10,000.00 (usd) for each fraudulent identification package. It took in upwards of 1 million dollars in cash over a three year period and it involved the bribery of two DMV officials in two different cities," said Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Two Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) employees who have been arrested as part of the ring, were involved in helping Dewalt obtain the fraudulent licenses with information from the targeted victims.
Prosecutors said the DMV employees abused their supervisory authority to penetrate the computer systems and acquire all the information on the victims.
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, John T. Morton, and the New York Police Commissioner, Raymond Kelly said identity fraud presents major risks for public safety and national security, particularly in keeping potential terrorists out of the U.S.
"Genuine New York driver's licenses like this one here play a critical role in our daily lives as New Yorkers and Americans. First, a driver's license creates the sense of legitimacy - an identity that comes with the full weight and authority of the state of New York. Second, a driver's license opens the door to so many facets of daily living. With a driver's license you can seek work, you can open a bank account, you can board a plane to anywhere in the U.S., " said John T. Morton, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for U.S. Immigration and Customs.
"It can take a hardened criminal from abroad and turn him into a bonafide citizen. It can enable a con artist to drain money from the bank accounts of innocent victims. It can allow terrorists to cross our borders and launch attacks. In this particular case it enabled drug dealers to ply their trade right here in New York. What I find particularly disturbing about this case was their willingness to sell fraudulent documents to an individual who is trying to circumvent the no-fly list and get on a commercial airliner," said Raymond Kelly, Police Commissioner for the city of New York.
Prosecutors said they will seek the maximum penalty for the defendants who could face more than 15 years in prison. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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