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FBI Identity Theft
Check-Cashing
Scheme Voided
Multi-Agency Effort Disrupts U.S. Treasury Check-Cashing and Identity
Theft Ring
03/18/16
The treasury checks were meant for military families, taxpayers
receiving refunds, and Social Security beneficiaries—but they wound up
in the hands of thieves instead.
From June 2012 to September 2014, a band of 19 criminals in Atlanta ran
a large-scale U.S. Treasury check-cashing and identity theft ring that
defrauded the federal government and retail stores of nearly $1
million. The ring included check suppliers, sellers, identification
manufacturers, and “check runners” who used fake driver’s licenses to
cash stolen checks.
At the center of it all was career criminal Asad Abdullah, who
orchestrated the elaborate scheme from inside a Georgia state prison.
With regular access to contraband cellphones, Abdullah was able to
contact his younger brothers in Atlanta, and he soon had the resources
he needed to mobilize the family-run criminal enterprise.
Here’s how it worked: Thieves stole checks from various sources,
including the U.S. mail, and middlemen purchased the checks at a
percentage of their face value, usually 25 percent. Meanwhile,
identification manufacturers were paid to produce counterfeit Georgia
driver’s licenses matching the names and addresses of the victims, but
with photos of the scheme’s check runners, who would cash the checks at
grocery stores, discount supermarkets, and check-cashing outlets.
While U.S. Treasury check-cashing was a regular activity for Abdullah’s
crew, the ambitious enterprise also engaged in credit card fraud.
Inside sources working at big-box stores with regular access to
customer and store credit card data provided the thieves with a steady
flow of personal information. This data was used to produce counterfeit
identification documents so the fraudsters could pose as real store
club members. Trips to stores throughout Georgia, Tennessee, and
Alabama resulted in brand new replacement credit cards that were
ultimately used to purchase gift cards, gas, groceries, and other items.
The ring was finally derailed following a series of early morning raids
and takedowns on September 24, 2014, which turned up weapons, cash, and
identity document manufacturing hardware.
“The 16-month investigation was an enormous cooperative effort
involving numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement
resources,” said an FBI Atlanta agent assigned to the case.
As part of the investigation, a confidential informant assisted the FBI
and other law enforcement personnel in recovering stolen checks and
false identifications. Several stores also agreed to support the
investigation by cashing the stolen checks, thus aiding the Bureau and
other agencies in identifying members of the scheme.
“Fraud and identity theft crimes are a serious problem in Atlanta,”
added the case agent. “Our combined efforts in this particular case
serve as a warning to would-be criminals on the brink of preying on
unsuspecting victims.”
Sentencing was announced on February 16, 2016 for 18 of the 19 Atlanta
criminals convicted for their roles in the crime ring. The 19th and
final defendant is scheduled to be sentenced in the near future.
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