Press Release
MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS EMPLOYEE PLEADS GUILTY TO CREDIT CARD FRAUD AND IDENTITY THEFT
September 23, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jeffrey H. Sloman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Henry Gutierrez, Postal Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Rafael P. Hernandez, Jr., Chief, North Miami Beach Police Department, announced today that Roshell Demps, 28, of Miami, pleaded guilty to one count of credit card fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1029(a)(2) and 1028A(a)(1).
The defendant will be sentenced by United States District Judge K. Michael Moore on December 10, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. Demps faces a maximum imprisonment term of ten years for the credit card fraud count and a mandatory imprisonment term of two years for the aggravated identity theft count. Additionally, she may receive a fine up to $250,000.
According to information made public at her plea hearing, Demps worked in the Risk & Benefits Office at the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. She used her access to MDCPS records to obtain personal identifying information of other current and former MDCPS employees. Demps obtained a range of information, including names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers in order to fraudulently acquire credit cards under some of the employees’ names. The information was then used to fraudulently obtain multiple credit cards in others’ names. The fraudulently acquired cards were then used to make various purchases, the losses of which to date exceeds $10,000.
Mr. Sloman commended the Identity Theft and Economic Crimes Task Force, particularly the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the North Miami Beach Police Department, for its work on this case. Mr. Sloman also thanked the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department for its continued cooperation in the investigation of this matter. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jared Strauss.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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