A Miramar, Florida resident was convicted by a Southern District of Florida jury of access device fraud and aggravated identity theft following a two-day trial.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Robert C. Hutchinson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), Miami Field Office, Rafiq Ahmad, Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Miami Office (DOL-OIG), and William Hernandez, Chief, North Miami Beach Police Department, made the announcement.
Marletta Jasmine Knowles, 26, of Miramar, Florida, was convicted at trial of one count of use of one or more unauthorized access devices to obtain anything of value aggregating $1,000 or more, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(a)(2), and four counts of aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 1028A(a)(1). She faces a statutory maximum penalty of 18 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for October 7, 2016 before U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom.
The evidence at trial established that between Dec. 30, 2014 and Feb. 21, 2015, Knowles used fraudulent debit cards to obtain $3,000 in money orders at Publix Super Markets in Miami-Dade County. These debit cards had been issued using the names, dates of birth, and social security numbers of two victims.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the ICE-HSI, DOL-OIG and the North Miami Beach Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joshua S. Rothstein and Breezye Telfair.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
