A Miami resident has been sentenced to 55 months in prison and three years of supervised release for crimes involving identity theft and fraud affecting at least 450 victims. Mckenzie Levar Monestine, age 33, pleaded guilty in December 2025 to charges of possessing more than 15 unauthorized access devices and aggravated identity theft. The charges resulted from a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe that began in 2020.
According to court documents, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Monestine’s residence on June 22, 2020. Investigators found evidence inside a padlocked room that included personally identifying information such as Social Security numbers, account passwords, driver’s license numbers, phone numbers, bank account numbers, credit card details, debit card data, and dates of birth belonging to other individuals. The fraudulent activity was largely conducted online through social media and email accounts. Evidence was located on various electronic devices including cellphones and a MacBook laptop. Authorities also discovered spreadsheets containing about 450 access devices and notes with sensitive information on the MacBook Pro.
Monestine exchanged numerous text messages that contained banking logins, PINs for cards, and other data used to access financial accounts belonging to others. Physical evidence recovered included over $11,000 in cash; multiple credit, debit, and gift cards issued under different names; fake identification cards; Western Union money orders; a device capable of re-encoding credit card chips or magnetic strips; and mail addressed to people other than Monestine.
The estimated financial loss resulting from the offenses is between $250,000 and $550,000.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida stated: “This defendant built a fraud operation on stolen identities, at least 450 of them. He stockpiled Social Security numbers, bank credentials, and credit card information in spreadsheets and on electronic devices, treating other people’s identities like inventory. Identity theft is not a victimless crime. It drains savings, damages credit, and disrupts lives. If you traffic in stolen identities in South Florida, you will face federal prosecution and real prison time.”
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones; and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of FBI Miami Field Office announced the sentencing.
The case was investigated by the FBI Miami Field Office with prosecution handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Maultasch for the Southern District of Florida along with Trial Attorneys Jinah Chang and Jennifer E. Burns from the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.
This prosecution is part of an initiative targeting violent crime in Miami involving cooperation among federal agencies as well as local law enforcement partners.
Further information about this case can be found through the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-20282.
