14 DAY TRIAL // Back in May 2012, we learned that several individuals were indicted on suspicion of running a credit card skimming operation that targeted the customers of various restaurants in the Chicago area, including Magnificent Mile’s and Wrigley Field .
According to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, seven individuals were sentenced on Wednesday for their involvement in the scheme.
Joseph Woods, 33, received a five-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to continuing a financial crimes enterprise; William Washington, 31, was sentenced to six years in jail after pleading guilty to the same charge; Alex Houston, 23, got a 3-year sentence for financial institution fraud; and Brian Woods, 34, served two and a half months in jail.
In addition, Farrar, Essence Houston and Kenyetta Davis were sentenced to two years of felony probation.
The Attorney General reports that the fraudsters were coordinated by Joseph Woods, who paid his accomplices – who were working at the targeted restaurants – to skim information from customer payment cards.
A total of 175 cards were skimmed and cloned, allowing the crooks to make purchases of over $200,000 (153,000 EUR).
The affected financial institutions – US Bank, Citibank, Bank of America, American Express, Chase, Harris Bank and Fifth Third Bank – assisted in the investigation carried out by authorities.
“This case shows how prevalent identity theft is in everyday transactions,” Madigan said.
“It should serve as a reminder to regularly check your credit card bills and financial statements for any unauthorized charges or debits, and report any suspicious activity before any significant damage can be done.”
Madigan has revealed that over 2,500 identity theft complaints were filed last year with the Consumer Fraud Bureau.
The AG advises consumers to report suspected incidents at the Identity Theft Hotline at (866) 999-5630 or TTY (877) 844-5461.