Jeffrey C. Brown, 35, of Collinsville, Illinois, entered pleas of guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud (in a scheme to obtain money and property through the use of unauthorized access devices through the commission of identity theft) and to Aggravated Identity Theft, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. Brown faces a prison sentence of up to 20 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 3 years’ supervised release after serving his sentence, as well as mandatory restitution for the offense of Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud. Brown faces a mandatory consecutive two year prison sentence for the offense of Aggravated Identity Theft. Sentencing has been scheduled for Nov. 17, 2015.
As part of the plea, Brown admitted stealing mail out of mailboxes. The stolen mail mater contained means of identification of other persons that included names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers. As part of the conspiracy, Brown and a co-conspirator used that information to apply for and obtain credit cards of other persons without authorization. The credit cards were then used to make purchases. Some of the fraudulently obtained items were then shipped or mailed to the residence of Brown and/or the co-conspirator.
Because Brown previously violated conditions of pretrial release by cutting off a GPS tracking device and not returning home, he has been detained, that is, held without bond since his arrest.
The prosecution is the result of an investigation conducted by the Collinsville Police Department, the Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service/Criminal Investigations, and the United States Secret Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Norman R. Smith.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
