Allegedly Stole Identity Information to Obtain Over $1 Million in Credit, and Over $184,000 in Goods and Services
BALTIMORE (April 1, 2008) - A grand jury has indicted six individuals on fraud and aggravated identity theft charges in a scheme in which they obtained credit in excess of $1.15 million, and goods and services worth over $184,000, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. The indictment was returned on February 14, 2008 and unsealed last Friday upon the initial appearance in West Virginia of one of the last defendants to be arrested.
Charged in the indictment are:
-- Stanley Wayne Pope, age 40 ,of Glen Burnie, Baltimore and Columbia, Maryland;
-- Michael Wayne Paul, age 21, of Baltimore and Columbia, Maryland;
-- Leland Ralph Glaze, age 32, of Glen Burnie;
-- Jennifer Carol Garnsey, age 36, of Glen Burnie;
-- Tymetria Tinese Queen, age 24, of Glen Burnie; and
-- Vickie Stewart, of Glen Burnie.
According to the 14 count indictment, from March 2004 to January 2006, Stanley Pope and Michael Paul obtained unauthorized access to an instant credit scoring system used by a cellular telephone service provider. They would query random nine digit numbers in the system to find social security numbers, and determine to whom the social security numbers were assigned and the credit worthiness of that individual. They allegedly used the names and social security numbers to apply for instant credit at a retail store. The fraudulently obtained credit cards would be mailed to the defendants, as well as to other addresses in Baltimore accessible to the defendants.
The indictment further alleges that Pope, Paul, Glaze, Garnsey and Queen often used the fraudulently obtained credit cards to order take-out food or flowers, in order to test whether the accounts were valid. Pope and Paul would also take over the existing accounts of credit card customers by changing the addresses for those credit cards. Pope, Paul, Glaze, Garnsey and Queen used the fraudulently obtained credit cards to obtain services such as utilities, cable or cellular telephone service, or to order merchandise such as electronics and furniture for delivery to the residences of Glaze and Garnsey and other locations accessible to members of the conspiracy. Credit card statements seeking payment for charges made on the fraudulently obtained credit accounts were not paid. The defendants are also alleged to have used the fraudulently obtained credit cards to pay bills for individuals in the community in exchange for payment to the defendants of half of the face amount of the bill.
Paul had his initial appearance in federal district court in West Virginia on Friday, March 28, and is scheduled to have his initial appearance in federal court in Baltimore on April 1, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. Pope, Garnsey, Glaze and Queen previously had their initial appearances and have been released from custody. Glaze remains a fugitive.
All the defendants face a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Pope, Paul, Garnsey, Glaze and Queen face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for bank fraud and two years in addition to any other sentence for aggravated identity theft. Pope, Garnsey and Queen also face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for access device fraud.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
Source: United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, Rod J. Rosenstein