Baltimore, Maryland - On Friday June 23, 2017, U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Alfred Musa, a/k/a “Gucci," age 29, of Bladensburg, Maryland to 120 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit access device fraud, identification document fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Judge Russell also ordered Musa to pay $109,297.04 in restitution.
The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Superintendent of the Maryland State Police, Chief William M. Pallozzi; and Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department.
According to his plea agreement, from October 2014 through August 2015, Musa conspired with others to obtain gift cards, cellular telephones, and goods from retailers by fraudulently obtaining access devices and driver’s licenses in the names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers, and other means of identification of real persons. Musa and his co-defendants used the means of identification of at least 90 real people and obtained over $250,000 in fraud proceeds.
Musa obtained personal identifying information of real people and used that information to obtain fraudulent driver’s licenses bearing the victim’s information and a co-conspirator’s photograph. Those driver’s licenses were used to open lines of credit at various retail stores, including Lowes Home Improvement, Nordstrom, and others across Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia and Delaware. Once the lines of credit were opened, Musa and the others used them to purchase gift cards as well as high end designer goods. The fraudulent driver’s licenses were also used at Apple stores to open lines of credit and purchase cellular telephones that were resold to a third party for a profit.
In November 2014 a search warranted was executed at Musa’s residence in Montgomery County, Maryland. During the execution of the search warrant, Musa hid in a trash chute to avoid detection. Fraud documents, including screen shots from Bank of America’s internal computer systems containing personal identifying information of several victims were recovered. A box of ammunition with Musa’s fingerprints was also recovered. Musa is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition based on a prior felony conviction.
In March 2015, Musa and co-defendant Abubakah Kromah used the identity of a law enforcement officer to open a line of credit at a Lowes in Glen Burnie, Maryland, then used that line of credit to purchase over $11,000 in gift cards at various Lowes stores. On March 26, 2015, Musa and Kromah were apprehended outside the Christiana Mall in Delaware after attempting to open new lines of credit in the law enforcement officer’s name at Nordstrom and Macy’s. When Musa was arrested, a credit application in the officer’s name as well as receipts of other fraud purchases were recovered from his vehicle.
Abubakah Chiko Kromah was also convicted of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. On February 9, 2017, he was sentenced to 60 months imprisonment.
Co-defendant Terri Ashely Hooks was convicted of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft related to this scheme. On April 27, 2017, she was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.
Co-defendant Jasmine Young was convicted of Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft related to this scheme. On May 10, 2017, she was sentenced to 66 months imprisonment.
Co-defendant Olayinka Amidatu Bangura, a/k/a “Amida," was convicted of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft related to this scheme. On May 17, 2017, she was sentenced to 12 months and one day imprisonment.
Acting United States Attorney Stephen M. Schenning commended HSI Baltimore, the Maryland State Police, and the Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Schenning also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Perry and Sandra Wilkinson, who prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
