U.S. Department of Justice

                                                                                    United States Attorney

                                                                                    Northern District of Indiana

                                                                                                                              5400 Federal Plaza, Suite 1500                                                (219) 937- 5500

                                                                                                                              Hammond, Indiana 46320                                          FAX: (219) 852- 2770

TTD: (219) 933- 1250

                                                                                                     April 19, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Released By: Joseph S. Van Bokkelen

                  United States Attorney

                  Northern District of Indiana

                  5400 Federal Plaza

                 Hammond, Indiana 46320

Contact Person: Toi Denise Houston

                  Assistant United States Attorney

                                       219/937-5500

                                                            PRESS RELEASE

DEFENDANT CONVICTED

    After about two hours of deliberation today, a federal jury in Hammond convicted RENE L. LUCAS of conspiracy to commit credit card fraud and obstruction of correspondence. The trial began September 8, 2003.

    U.S. District Judge Rudy Lozano has scheduled sentencing for November 24, 2003, at 12:30 p.m.

    LUCAS, age 46, of Gary, Indiana, was convicted of conspiracy to utilize the identity of an individual without that person’s knowledge, authority and permission; obtained credit cards in that individual’s name and ordered merchandise and services for the defendant’s own personal purpose and benefit; and obstructed the delivery of the mail to the individual relating to unauthorized credit cards, billing statements, and merchandise and services purchased for the defendant’s own personal purpose and benefit, from September 2001 through May 2002 in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. LUCAS was also convicted of knowingly and intentionally opening, secreting and embezzling a letter that had been in a Post Office and an authorized depository for mail matter before it had been delivered to the person for whom it was directed with the design to obstruct that correspondence and to pry into the business and secrets of another, to wit: mail and packages addressed and issued from various merchants, credit card companies and financial institutions including Shell, WFNNB bank card, Lerners, Capital One FSB, Capital One Bank, Roth County Bank, MB Amoco BP, Juniper Bank, Providian, Shoppers Charge Card, Discover Financial Services, Extensive Wise Consumer, and WalMart, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1702.

    This case was investigated by the Identity Theft Task Force including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Gary, Indiana Police Department, and the Hobart, Indiana Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Toi Denise Houston.

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