DISTRICT ATTORNEY VANCE ANNOUNCES 147-COUNT INDICTMENT OF CAREER SCAMMER IN POSSESSION OF MORE THAN 800 STOLEN CREDIT REPORTS
Defendant Compromised the Identities of More Than 750 People Across the U.S.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment of IGUOSADE OSAHON, 28, for stealing more than $500,000 by exploiting stolen identity information over a three-year period. OSAHON stole the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of more than 750 individuals to obtain at least 800 credit reports, which in turn he used to perpetrate a variety of identity theft scams. OSAHON has been charged in a 147-count indictment with Computer Tampering, Grand Larceny, Identity Theft, and Scheme to Defraud, among other charges.[1] The crimes charged in the indictment occurred between November 2007 and February 2010.
“Victims of identity theft can spend years fighting to recoup losses and regain their financial standing,” said District Attorney Vance. “The Internet is now the crime scene of the 21st Century. We must prevent and prosecute these crimes with vigor, and continue to push our state lawmakers to pass legislation that increases cybercrime and identity theft penalties. Ongoing collaboration between law enforcement, financial institutions, and the credit reporting bureaus is key to our success in combating identity theft, and I thank our partners in this case.”
OSAHON was the target of a joint investigation by the New York County District Attorney’s Office Cybercrime and Identity Theft Bureau and the New York/New Jersey Electronic Crimes Task Force (ECTF) of the United States Secret Service.According to documents filed in court, the investigation leading to today’s indictment revealed that beginning in November 2007, OSAHON began compiling the personal identification information of his victims, including their Social Security numbers and dates of birth, from a variety of sources, including online data traffickers. OSAHON submitted this personal data to the websites of three principal credit reporting bureaus – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – as well as web-based portals. Armed with victims’ personal data, OSAHON was frequently able to bypass the sites’ security questions to obtain victims’ credit reports. In a single week in February 2010, OSAHON was able to obtain the credit reports of 36 individuals residing in New York, California, and Florida over the Internet from a single credit reporting bureau. A typical credit report contains every aspect of the subject’s financial history, from checking account numbers to home equity line of credit payment histories to a list of past and current addresses. OSAHON used this information to take over victims’ accounts, principally bank and credit card accounts. Though OSAHON targeted banks across the country, the investigation focused on losses to customers of Chase Bank, a Manhattan-based institution, and identified more than $500,000 in fraud attributable to OSAHON. Analysis of the bank records and other documents indicate that OSAHON spent some of his stolen funds on Tiffany & Co. jewelry, Rolex watches, and goods from Louis Vuitton, Bloomingdale’s, Apple, Target, and Circuit City.
District Attorney Vance thanked Assistant District Attorney Ehren Reynolds, who is handling the prosecution of the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney David Szuchman, Chief of the Cybercrime and Identity Theft Bureau. Investigative Analyst Michelle Moy assisted in the investigation, as well as Senior Forensic Examiner Richard Brittson. The District Attorney’s Investigation Bureau assisted in the investigation, under the supervision of Acting-Chief Walter Alexander.
District Attorney Vance thanked the Global Security and Investigations Team at Chase Bank, particularly Vice President Jon Lucenius, as well as the Corporate Investigations group at TransUnion and TransUnion Interactive, for these institutions’ analytical support in uncovering the scope and depth of OSAHON’s fraud. District Attorney Vance also thanked Brian Parr, Special-Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the United States Secret Service, and the ECTF, particularly Special Agent Timothy Williams, lead investigator on the case, and Special Agent Robert Novy, supervisor of the ECTF.
District Attorney Vance also thanked investigators from the following institutions: Bank of America, Capital One, Wachovia, Equifax, and Experian.
Defendant Information:
IGUOSADE OSAHON, D.O.B. 6/24/82
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Charges:
Computer Tampering in the First Degree, 1 count, a class C felony
Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, 3 counts, a class C felony
Identity Theft in the First Degree, 16 counts, a class D felony
Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, 13 counts, a class D felony
Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, 2 counts, a class E felony
Unlawful Possession of Personal Identification Information in the Second Degree, 1 count, a class E felony
Computer Trespass, 37 counts, a class E felony
Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, 37 counts, a class E felony
Identity Theft in the Second Degree, 37 counts, a class E felony
A class C felony is punishable by a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a class D felony is punishable by a sentence of up to 7 years in prison, and a class E felony is punishable by a sentence of up to 4 years in prison.
[1]The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment of IGUOSADE OSAHON, 28, for stealing more than $500,000 by exploiting stolen identity information over a three-year period. OSAHON stole the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of more than 750 individuals to obtain at least 800 credit reports, which in turn he used to perpetrate a variety of identity theft scams. OSAHON has been charged in a 147-count indictment with Computer Tampering, Grand Larceny, Identity Theft, and Scheme to Defraud, among other charges.[1] The crimes charged in the indictment occurred between November 2007 and February 2010.
“Victims of identity theft can spend years fighting to recoup losses and regain their financial standing,” said District Attorney Vance. “The Internet is now the crime scene of the 21st Century. We must prevent and prosecute these crimes with vigor, and continue to push our state lawmakers to pass legislation that increases cybercrime and identity theft penalties. Ongoing collaboration between law enforcement, financial institutions, and the credit reporting bureaus is key to our success in combating identity theft, and I thank our partners in this case.”
OSAHON was the target of a joint investigation by the New York County District Attorney’s Office Cybercrime and Identity Theft Bureau and the New York/New Jersey Electronic Crimes Task Force (ECTF) of the United States Secret Service.According to documents filed in court, the investigation leading to today’s indictment revealed that beginning in November 2007, OSAHON began compiling the personal identification information of his victims, including their Social Security numbers and dates of birth, from a variety of sources, including online data traffickers. OSAHON submitted this personal data to the websites of three principal credit reporting bureaus – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – as well as web-based portals. Armed with victims’ personal data, OSAHON was frequently able to bypass the sites’ security questions to obtain victims’ credit reports. In a single week in February 2010, OSAHON was able to obtain the credit reports of 36 individuals residing in New York, California, and Florida over the Internet from a single credit reporting bureau. A typical credit report contains every aspect of the subject’s financial history, from checking account numbers to home equity line of credit payment histories to a list of past and current addresses. OSAHON used this information to take over victims’ accounts, principally bank and credit card accounts. Though OSAHON targeted banks across the country, the investigation focused on losses to customers of Chase Bank, a Manhattan-based institution, and identified more than $500,000 in fraud attributable to OSAHON. Analysis of the bank records and other documents indicate that OSAHON spent some of his stolen funds on Tiffany & Co. jewelry, Rolex watches, and goods from Louis Vuitton, Bloomingdale’s, Apple, Target, and Circuit City.
District Attorney Vance thanked Assistant District Attorney Ehren Reynolds, who is handling the prosecution of the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney David Szuchman, Chief of the Cybercrime and Identity Theft Bureau. Investigative Analyst Michelle Moy assisted in the investigation, as well as Senior Forensic Examiner Richard Brittson. The District Attorney’s Investigation Bureau assisted in the investigation, under the supervision of Acting-Chief Walter Alexander.
District Attorney Vance thanked the Global Security and Investigations Team at Chase Bank, particularly Vice President Jon Lucenius, as well as the Corporate Investigations group at TransUnion and TransUnion Interactive, for these institutions’ analytical support in uncovering the scope and depth of OSAHON’s fraud. District Attorney Vance also thanked Brian Parr, Special-Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the United States Secret Service, and the ECTF, particularly Special Agent Timothy Williams, lead investigator on the case, and Special Agent Robert Novy, supervisor of the ECTF.
District Attorney Vance also thanked investigators from the following institutions: Bank of America, Capital One, Wachovia, Equifax, and Experian.
Defendant Information:
IGUOSADE OSAHON, D.O.B. 6/24/82
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Charges:
Computer Tampering in the First Degree, 1 count, a class C felony
Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, 3 counts, a class C felony
Identity Theft in the First Degree, 16 counts, a class D felony
Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, 13 counts, a class D felony
Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, 2 counts, a class E felony
Unlawful Possession of Personal Identification Information in the Second Degree, 1 count, a class E felony
Computer Trespass, 37 counts, a class E felony
Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, 37 counts, a class E felony
Identity Theft in the Second Degree, 37 counts, a class E felony
A class C felony is punishable by a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a class D felony is punishable by a sentence of up to 7 years in prison, and a class E felony is punishable by a sentence of up to 4 years in prison.
[1]The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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