A North Tonawanda man has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for his role in a scheme involving stolen credit card numbers used to purchase large amounts of gasoline. U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced that Kingsley Brown, 23, was convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and received the sentence from U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, Brown and co-defendant Cross Malik Williams bought about 570 stolen bank cards from online marketplaces between August 2022 and July 2023. The two used a device to transfer the stolen information onto blank plastic cards with magnetic strips, enabling them to make purchases using funds from victims’ accounts.
Williams and Brown either used these cards themselves or provided them to others who purchased gas with the stolen information. The individuals buying the gas paid Williams or Brown less than its actual cost. As part of his plea agreement, Brown admitted responsibility for $192,673 in total losses.
"Cross Malik Williams was previously convicted and sentenced," according to the statement.
The case resulted from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation led by Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera.
