T.O. man given prison sentence for identity theft |
By Ventura County Star, Calif. Nov. 5--In addition to being sentenced to 7 years and 11 months in federal prison, Vann, 47, also was ordered by U.S. District Judge S. James Otero in Los Angeles to pay $1.05 million in restitution to eight banks for their losses during his nearly four-year-long scheme, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. Vann pleaded guilty in November 2008 to three felonies -- mail fraud, the use of unauthorized access devices (credit cards), and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors said Vann used personal identity information he acquired to fraudulently acquire credit cards and checks from the banks. When investigators searched Vann's home in 2008, they found mortgage files in the names of 145 people and 46 credit files belonging to others, prosecutors said. To hide his activities, he used mail drops in Beverly Hills, where the banks sent the illicit credit cards and checks. Prosecutors said the federal judge considered Vann's lengthy criminal history, one they said that goes back 25 years and includes fraud convictions, to determine his sentence. The judge also considered Vann's lifestyle, one that included designer clothing, a Mercedes Benz convertible, expensive nightclubs and restaurants as well as a $1,400 purebred puppy he bought with a fraudulent credit card. ----- To see more of the Ventura County Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.venturacountystar.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Ventura County Star, Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. A service of YellowBrix, Inc. |
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