A federal grand jury for the Southern District of Illinois has returned an indictment charging
Danny Vaughn, 62, of Centralia, Illinois, with 15 felony counts, including mail fraud, wire fraud,
and aggravated identity theft.
According to the indictment, Vaughn purchased computers, cell phones, and gift cards from local
retailers using credit cards associated with other people’s accounts. The indictment includes 12
wire fraud charges for separate credit card transactions adding up to over $20,000 - all made over
the course of four days in November, 2018, using one victim’s account at Best Buy, Walmart, and
Peoples National Bank. Vaughn allegedly received copies of the victims’ credit cards from
co-conspirators, along with packages containing other fraudulently acquired property. The
indictment alleges that Vaughn shipped the fraudulently acquired items to addresses overseas,
including Malaysia.
Vaughn is due in federal court for his initial appearance on July 13 at 10:00 a.m. A trial date has
not been set. Each of the 14 fraud charges is punishable by as much as 20 years in prison. The
aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory sentence of two years imprisonment in addition
to the punishment imposed for any other count.
An indictment is merely a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed
to be innocent of a charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a
jury.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the
Centralia Police Department.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
