A federal judge in southern Illinois has sentenced three men to prison for their roles in a scheme involving counterfeit credit and debit cards used at gas stations. The scheme allowed the defendants to fill up tanks for patrons in exchange for cash.
Dee E. Day, aged 31, from Belleville, received a sentence of 30 months in prison and was ordered to pay $14,295 in restitution. Marquise Q. Golliday, aged 29, from Collinsville, and Montuelle F. Wright, aged 33, from East St. Louis, were each sentenced earlier to 28 months of imprisonment.
All three individuals pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe commented on the case stating that "financial exploitation and identity theft crimes are serious offenses with lasting effects on victims," adding that law enforcement acted swiftly against the criminal activity.
Court documents revealed that the conspirators had counterfeit cards with modified electronic routing information encoded on the magnetic strips. This data included victims' names and card numbers.
Special Agent in Charge Dai Tran of the Chicago Field Office remarked on the agency's commitment: “Financial crimes perpetrated on law-abiding citizens often have lasting effects on unknowing victims. The U.S. Secret Service is dedicated to stopping and deterring such crimes."
The fraudulent transactions amounted to over $14,000 across more than 130 charges affecting accounts of 34 victims. Most activities occurred at a Sauget gas station between November 1-5, 2019, with similar incidents reported in Columbia and Fairview Heights in Illinois as well as Valley Park in Missouri.
The investigation was led by the U.S. Secret Service with Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Reed prosecuting the case.
