NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Preston Frazier, 22, and Keandre Williams, 24, both of Newport News, pleaded guilty today to charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
In statements of facts filed with their respective plea agreements, Frazier and Williams admitted to conspiring to obtain United States currency from several financial institutions by depositing worthless financial instruments into accounts belonging to other individuals and then conducting debit card transactions at ATM and retail locations throughout Hampton Roads. Frazier and Williams each admitted to recruiting account holders of several financial institutions via social media to provide access to their debit cards and personal identification numbers for a period of time in exchange for monetary payment. Frazier, Williams, and other co-conspirators were recorded by video surveillance equipment at ATM and retail locations while engaging in what they termed the “card cracking" scheme.
Frazier, Williams, and two others were indicted by a federal grand jury on June 10, 2015. Frazier and Williams each faces a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison to run consecutive to a maximum possible penalty of 30 years in prison. Both will be sentenced on Jan. 11, 2015. Charges remain pending against the remaining two co-conspirators. The minimum and maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Doug Mease, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Richmond Field Office; David G. Bowers, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Richard W. Myers, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after the pleas were accepted by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaitlin C. Gratton and Brian J. Samuels are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:15cr43.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
