Nicholas J. Ganjei United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
Bradley Kane Zarco and Travis Castaneda Qawasmeh have confessed to their involvement in a significant mail theft and credit card fraud operation, according to the announcement by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. The two men from Houston admitted to exploiting stolen U.S. mail, which contained new credit cards and bank statements intended for account holders. They activated these cards by contacting financial institutions, subsequently increasing credit limits and altering account details. The fraudulent credit cards were then used to purchase a variety of items and services, ultimately causing losses to Chase Bank amounting to approximately $1 million.
The fraudulent activities spanned a period of six months, during which at least 120 stolen credit cards were activated by the perpetrators. Three additional individuals, Christopher McGee, Daniel Sanchez, and Omokehinde Muyiwa Oyegoke-Tewogbade, had already pleaded guilty to identical charges. McGee, 43, and Sanchez, 37, are also from Houston, while 64-year-old Nigerian citizen Oyegoke-Tewogbade resided illegally in the city.
U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen has accepted their pleas and scheduled sentencing for August 11. The conspiracy charge links two of the defendants to a possible five-year prison term and a fine that could reach $1 million. McGee also faced an additional charge of aggravated identity theft, which includes a mandatory two-year prison sentence to run consecutively with other sentences.
In February, Sanchez received a sentence of 41 months in prison. All defendants remain in custody, except for Qawasmeh, who is permitted to stay on bond. The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Lansden leading the prosecution.
