HOUSTON - Olasunkanmi Shittu, 42, has been sentenced to a total of 84 months in federal prison for his role in a bank fraud and mail fraud scheme that defrauded approximately 25 victims, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Shittu pleaded guilty Oct. 15, 2013, to one count each of conspiracy to commit bank and mail fraud, four counts of mail fraud and rwo counts of aggravated identity theft.
Today, U.S. District Judge David Hittner handed him a sentence of 18 months for each of the conspiracy to commit mail fraud and mail fraud charges. Those sentences will be served concurrently to each other but consecutive to another 18 months for the conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He was further ordered to serve 24 months on each of the two identity theft charges which will both be served consecutively to each other and to the other sentences imposed for a total term of 84 months in federal prison. He will also pay restitution payment in the amount of $10,550. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face deportation proceedings back to Nigeria following completion of his prison term.
Shittu stole personal identifying information and credit card account information from multiple victims. He and his co-conspirators would then hack into the victim’s credit card accounts via the Internet, steal reward points associated with the account, convert those points into cash and transfer the cash onto debit cards or gift cards under their sole custody and control. Using this scheme, on or about June 11, 2012, Shittu caused four Wal-Mart re-loadable MoneyCards valued at approximately $10,550 to be sent to him and his co-conspirators via the U.S. Mail. The four Wal-Mart cards were funded with reward points stolen from at least 25 different victims.
Shittu will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julie Searle.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
