FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT: Lauren Horwood
September 29, 2011	PHONE: (916) 554-2706
www.usdoj.gov/usao/cae	usacae.edcapress@usdoj.gov
Docket #: 2:11-cr-0061-MCE

            SACRAMENTO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that Michael Garcia, 38, of Stockton, pleaded guilty today to one count of fraud in connection with computers and one count of fraud in connection with an access device.

            According to the plea agreement, Garcia was employed as technician by a contractor that provided information technology (IT) assistance to third parties. While employed there, he accessed the computer servers of a law firm and accountant firm, without their knowledge or authorization and downloaded the personal information of more than 1,450 clients and employees. Garcia maintained this information on his computer and elsewhere.

            According to court documents, Garcia and others used this personal and financial information to make counterfeited identification documents including driver’s licenses and military identification. They used the information to open bank accounts, draft bank checks, make cash withdrawals, obtain loans and lines of credit, and make unauthorized purchases. Additionally, Garcia accompanied others who wore stolen U.S. Customs and Border Protection uniforms to carry out certain fraudulent transactions, such as cashing checks, in the belief that the uniforms gave them more credibility. When arrested, Garcia possessed counterfeit California driver’s licenses, one of which bore his photo with the name of a victim on the document. The loss is more than $136,000.

            This case is the product of an extensive investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Robin Taylor and Todd Pickles are prosecuting the case.

            Garcia is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. on December 15, 2011. The maximum statutory penalty for fraud in connection with a computer is five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. The maximum statutory penalty for fraud in connection with an access device is 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

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