SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Marie Antoinette Alcanter, 48, of Sacramento, was sentenced today to four and a half years in prison for access device fraud and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, between December 2016 and March 2018, Alcanter worked with co-defendant Rose Marie Segale, 42, of San Jose, formerly of Sacramento, to obtain money and other things of value using victims’ identities. Segale used her employment at a veterinary clinic and her pet-sitting work to obtain victims’ personal and financial information, which she provided to Alcanter. Alcanter made purchases by drawing on victims’ existing accounts. She also applied for new accounts using victims’ identities and then made purchases and cash withdrawals using those fraudulent accounts. As a result of the conspiracy, Alcanter and Segale obtained at least $46,615 worth of items and cash.
Alcanter possessed a veterinary clinic statement for euthanasia and cremation of a dog, on which Segale had recorded the victim’s credit card number. Alcanter also used counterfeit driver’s licenses with victims’ names but with Alcanter’s photograph.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Miriam R. Hinman is prosecuting the case.
Segale previously pleaded guilty to access device fraud and aggravated identity theft, and she is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 5. She faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the access device fraud offense, as well as a mandatory two-year prison term for the aggravated identity theft. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
