Judge Xinis also ordered Bobet to pay restitution of $95,001. The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Matthew S. Miller of the United States Secret Service - Washington Field Office; and Acting Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department. According to the plea agreements of Bobet, and co-defendants Alonia Anderson Perkins, age 42, of Tampa, Florida and Celeste Nyleen Carmona, age 23, of New York, New York, they conspired to obtain, charge, and finance the costs of upgraded Apple iPhones against true AT&T customers accounts. The defendants admitted that they used stolen account information, telephone upgrade eligibility, and personal identifying information of actual AT&T Mobility customers to obtain the iPhones, which Bobet then provided to her co-conspirators in New York City. Specifically, in July 2015 and April 2016, respectively, Bobet recruited Carmona and Perkins into the scheme.
In May 2016, Bobet drove Perkins and Carmona from New York City to Apple Stores located in Maryland and elsewhere to obtain Apple iPhones for resale. For example, on May 16, 2016, Bobet provided Perkins and Carmona with fraudulent identification cards that contained the stolen personal information of victim AT&T customers, but bore the photographs of Perkins and Carmona, as well as counterfeit credit and debit cards in the victim customers names. Bobet obtained the stolen identity information from her co-conspirators in New York City. Bobet drove Perkins and Carmona to the Apple Store located at The Mall in Columbia,
Maryland. Perkins and Carmona entered the Apple store while Bobet remained in the car. Perkins and Carmona each posing as a victim customer, purchased an Apple iPhone on the victim customers accounts. Bobet then drove Perkins and Carmona to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Carmona, posing as a victim customer purchased two more iPhones on the account of that customer. Perkins attempted to purchase an iPhone on the account of a fourth victim customer, but that customers account reflected a past due balance of $100, and Perkins was unable to upgrade any lines on that victims account until the balance was paid. Perkins abandoned the transaction and left the store, while Carmona completed her transaction.
Police responded to the Westfield Mall and located Bobets vehicle in the parking lot. Bobet attempted to leave, but law enforcement stopped the vehicle. Bobet, Perkins, and Carmona were taken into custody and transported to police headquarters. A search of Bobet recovered two cellular phones which contained AT&T account information and personal identifying information of at least 20 individuals. Bobets vehicle was seized and a search warrant for the vehicle was obtained. Law enforcement recovered a laptop, a tablet, counterfeit identification cards, credit and debit cards, and a black duffle bag containing the four fraudulently obtained Apple iPhones. AT&T records also showed that during the timeframe of the conspiracy, the name of Alonia Perkins was fraudulently added to four AT&T accounts in Florida and that three of these victims accounts had their billing addresses changed to Perkins address in Florida. The records also showed that Perkins later financed at least six Apple iPhones against the four victim customers accounts.
AT&T records further showed that the name Nyleen C. Carmona, or derivatives of that name, were added to 24 victims accounts, and Carmona later financed at least 46 Apple iPhones against the victims accounts. Perkins and Carmona previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced for their roles in the scheme.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the U.S. Secret Service and the Montgomery County Police Departments Economic Crimes Task Force and Electronic Crimes Unit for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer R. Sykes, who prosecuted the case.
-- District of Maryland
Source: U.S. Secret Service