Over 22 Nigerians arrested in a multimillion, multi-state identity theft and credit card fraud ring In the US
Friday, April 05, 2013Omoba
Some 32 people, including a Hudson County jail
nurse, have been arrested in a multimillion, multi-state identity theft and
credit card fraud ring.
The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office first got
involved in the investigation in the early fall of 2012, when they received
numerous complaints from victims as far away as California claiming that credit
cards in their name made fraudulent retail purchases in Hudson County, officials
said today.
Using store video and physical surveillance, the
detectives were able to identify several suspects, authorities state.
Detectives then linked those suspects to hundreds of other accounts and
millions of dollars in phony transactions.
The leaders of the group, authorities say,
purchased the identities of unsuspecting victims from online brokers, who got
the information from computer hackers across the United States.
In a process known as "punching,"
electronic account information from the cards' magnetic strips would be
transferred onto counterfeit cards, which were provided to "strikers"
who conducted the purchases at retailers all over the Eastern Seaboard,
authorities say.
Teams of strikers purchased retail gift cards that
were then used to purchase various electronic items, authorities say. Those
items were then sold in bulk to fences in New York and New Jersey, authorities
say. The fence would then sell the items to other people for cash payments.
The investigation has identified nearly 1,000
victims across the country and millions of dollars in phony transactions,
authorities say.
Authorities say the suspects spent the proceeds on
luxury cars, high-end jewelry and other lavish expenses. Some of the money was
additionally sent to accounts in Nigeria, authorities say.
Acting Hudson County Prosecutor Guy Gregory
commended a long list of agencies that were involved in the take down, saying,
"The operation could not have succeeded without their assistance."
Defendants charged with money laundering, theft by
deception, wrongful impersonation and conspiracy include: Bolaji Ola, 30, of
Sayreville; Olamide Otti, 27, of Queens; Akintunde Adeyemi, 28, of East Orange;
David Brown, 27, of Parlin; Adegbola Adedeji, 31, of Parlin; Oluwaseun Jato,
23, of Hillside; Oluwasola Diji, 31, of Westbury, NY; Oladapo Araromi, 26, of
Elizabeth; and Bertrand Ahaneku, 25, of South Orange.
Those charged with theft by deception, wrongful
impersonation, and conspiracy include: Oluwaseun Adekoya, 25, of Sewaren; Henry
Abdul, 25, of Union; Babatunde Oyefeso, 27, Union; Michael Assih, 24, of East
Orange; John Orubo, 32, of Brooklyn; Idris Soyemi, 25, of Brooklyn; Imrahim
Akaba, 23, of Piscataway; Vladimir Francois, 27, of Newark; Yves Desir, 29, of
Irvington; Aglaide Alzuphar, 23, of Newark; Kossi Klutse, 25, of Newark; Evon
Morris, 23, of East Orange; Fontessa Foreman, 27, of Newark; Olutoye Babatunde,
22, of Plainfield; Olukayode Adeosun, 30, of Newark; Gologo Benshaw, 25, of
Newark; Olushola Ayeni, 31, of Brooklyn; Orwells Oyakhire, 24, of Maplewood.
Oladayo Araromi, 26, of Linden and Olujimi
Williams, 24 of Hillside were charged with conspiracy. Matthew Sabo, 29, of
Sayreville and Vijay Shah, 24, of Springfield, are charged with fencing,
conspiracy, and receiving stolen property.
Oladayo Araromi, a nurse at Hudson County jail
making $79,298, has been suspended without pay, Hudson County spokesman Jim
Kennelly said today.
Of the 32 arrested, 24 appeared in Central Judicial
Processing court this afternoon. Bail was set for those who appeared by Hudson County
Superior Court Judge Joseph Isabella prior to their court appearance.
More arrests are expected, said Hudson County
Assistant Prosecutor Gene Rubino. Credit card fraudsters purchased fake identities
for computer hackers, Hudson County prosecutor says
Culled from : Nj.com
0 comments