An Ohio resident, Sean Matthew Langston, Jr., has pleaded guilty to possessing equipment used for making fraudulent credit cards. The plea was entered last week in federal court after authorities arrested Langston in Rankin County, Mississippi, on April 28, 2024.
According to court records and statements presented during the hearing, Langston and his co-defendant, John Carleton Johnson, Jr., were stopped by law enforcement officers who discovered about 322 gift cards, seventeen devices reencoded with stolen bank card data, and two magnetic stripe encoding machines in their possession. Surveillance footage showed both men using cloned instruments to buy gift cards at various retail stores across the Jackson metropolitan area.
Langston admitted guilt to one count of illegal possession, production, or trafficking in device-making equipment with intent to defraud. He is set for sentencing on April 14, 2026. If convicted of the maximum penalty under federal law, he could face up to 15 years in prison. Sentencing will be determined by a federal judge who will consider relevant guidelines and statutory factors.
A three-count indictment against both Langston and Johnson was returned by a federal grand jury on February 20, 2025. Johnson previously pleaded guilty on June 30, 2025; he received a two-year prison sentence and was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine on November 3, 2025.
United States Attorney Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi stated: "United States Attorney Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis, and Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch made the announcement."
The investigation is being conducted by several agencies working together as part of the Cyber Fraud Task Force: the United States Secret Service; Mississippi Attorney General’s Office; Mississippi Bureau of Investigation; with support from the Mississippi Highway Patrol and Flowood Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie is handling prosecution duties for this case.
