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2 sentenced in $200M international credit card fraud scheme in New Jersey
Khawaja Ikram was sentenced Tuesday to 25 months in prison and fined $10,000,
while Mohammad Khan was sentenced to 366 days behind bars for helping fuel a
$200 million international credit-card fraud scheme, said New Jersey federal
prosecutors.
The defendants were part of a conspiracy, which fabricated more than 7,000 bogus
identities to obtain more than 25,000 illicit credit cards, and run up more than
$200 million in bills, said Paul J. Fishman, U.S. attorney for New Jersey.
The massive enterprise ran from 2003 through February 2013, authorities said,
and spanned at least eight countries and 28 states, including New Jersey.
Ikram, 43, and Khan, 51, were among nearly two-dozen defendants, including the
ringleaders, charged in February 2013, prosecutors said.
The scam consisted of a three-step process, said authorities. The defendants
created false identities by manufacturing phony ID documents such as drivers'
licenses, pay stubs, tax returns and Social Security numbers, said court papers.
Next, they'd doctor credit reports to pump up the credit cards' spending and
borrowing power.
Afterward, they'd spend or borrow as much as they could, based on the bogus
credit history, without repaying the debts, court documents said. They caused
more than $200 million in confirmed losses to businesses and financial
institutions, said prosecutors.
The conspirators used more than 1,800 "drop addresses," including houses,
apartments and post office boxes to receive bills and other mail relating to the
phony cards, court papers said.
Editor's Note: This case, originally reported in 2014, will not be included in
this year's Publicly Reported ORC Numbers.
silive.com
Baltimore, MD: Conspirator in Counterfeit Credit Card Ring
Sentenced to Over 6 Years in Prison
Over 250 Individual and Institutional Victims Had Their Identities Stolen and
Sustained Actual Losses of Over $126,000. U.S. District Judge William D.
Quarles, Jr. sentenced Stanley Downey, age 49, formerly of New York, today to 74
months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for bank fraud
conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, arising from a scheme to use of stolen
credit and debit card information to manufacture counterfeit credit cards used
to buy merchandise and services. Judge Quarles also entered an order requiring
Downey to pay restitution of $126,318.99.
justice.gov
Canadian Fencing Operation: Oshawa, Ontario shop owner, son, accused of selling
more than $50,000 of stolen snow tires
An Oshawa tire shop owner and her son have been charged with stealing and
re-selling more than $50,000 worth of winter tires. The thefts are alleged to
have occurred at car dealerships in Port Perry, Cobourg and Stouffville during
the summer months, Durham police said. In one incident, the theft of $15,000
worth of tires and rims from Taylor Ford in Port Perry, surveillance cameras
caught images of suspects, police said.
durhamregion.com
 Two
Texas women plead guilty in Iowa; busted at airport fleeing the state
Charmaine D. Montgomery, 23, and Brooke A. Darby, 28, bought $5,562 worth of
gift cards during 90 transactions carried out over four days in June at six Home
Depot and Fred Meyer stores in the Treasure Valley. When the two Fort Worth
women were arrested at the end of their spree, Boise police seized 424
counterfeit and fraudulently purchased gift cards and prepaid credit cards - the
most ever recovered in a retail fraud case in Boise. The two women flew to Boise
from Fort Worth on June 21. They rented a car at the Boise Airport and went to
work using stolen credit card numbers embossed onto blank cards. Police
investigated and detained Montgomery and Darby at the Boise Airport before they
had a chance to leave the state.
idahostatesman.com
Murfreesboro, TN: $5K worth of merchandise stolen from Victoria's Secret
Authorities are once again on the hunt for several suspects who allegedly stole
more than $5,000 worth of merchandise from The Avenue's Victoria's Secret store.
The manager of the store told officers that four or five females in scrubs
entered the business and stole $5,250 on Nov. 25. Video of the incident shows
the suspects walking into the store, grabbing the merchandise and quickly
running out of the store. The theft only lasted seconds The Victoria's Secret
location has been hit multiple times over the past few months.
wkrn.com
 Fairfax,
VA: High School student charged with Stealing Thousands of Dollars of Goods With
Fake Credit Cards; product re-sold in NYC
Fairfax County police have arrested a young couple from New York who allegedly
used fraudulent credit cards to buy thousands of dollars of goods from Northern
Virginia retailers, most of it high-end perfume. Messihana Alicia Porter, 18, is
still in high school. Fairfax County Police she used the alias Tanya Harding on
fake or cloned gift gifts and credit cards she received from 21-year-old Donovan
Nedd. Court documents say Porter and Nedd used the fake cards in Virginia, and
Macy's stores at Tysons Corner Center and Fair Oaks Mall were frequent targets.
The two are charged with credit card theft and attempting to sell stolen
property. Investigators say Nedd recruited Porter when she was still a juvenile.
She told investigators Nedd would give her the fake or cloned cards. Her alias
-- Tanya Harding -- was stamped on all of them. She said Nedd instructed her to
buy high-priced items. Chanel perfume was a favorite. Nedd would then allegedly
take the perfume back to New York to resell it. Porter was supposed to get a
percentage of the profits.
nbcwashington.com
Fort Myers, FL: Man steals nearly $2K worth of items
from Saks Fifth Avenue at Bell Tower
Authorities are looking for a man who distracted employees at the Saks Fifth
Avenue store at the Bell Tower Shops before running off with nearly $2,000 in
shirts. On Nov. 20, authorities say the man picked out a $295 Burberry shirt and
a $595 hoodie. When he brought the items to the register, he asked a store
employee if he could see some shoes. While she turned around to assist the man,
he grabbed another shirt and ran out of the door with all three items, which
totaled $1,185 in value. A loss prevention officer at the store said he
recognized the suspect from previous thefts.
winknews.com
 St
Peters, MO: Three Suspects Sought In Toys R Us Theft
Surveillance cameras were rolling when three allegedly woman stole merchandise
from a Toys 'R Us store in St. Peters Saturday. Police say the suspects were
captured on video surveillance pushing three shopping carts full of items out of
the Toys R Us on Suemandy Drive at just before 3 p.m. Saturday. As they were
putting the toys in the vehicle, a male customer was able to take back a cart
full of stolen items and take it to the store, and as he grabbed the cart, the
women grabbed items from it, police said. The female thieves loaded the
remaining stolen items their vehicle and fled the area prior to police arrival.
leaderstandard.com
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